On your doorstep
by eggylaine
Summary: As if taking care of his stubborn father and sick little brother wasn't enough, one day an ex-girlfriend of Dean shows up with a three year old surprise. Teenchester
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I decided to try something different. The reputation Dean has with the ladies sort of resembles the reputation of my cousin. We keep saying we wouldn't be surprised if someone would show up on his doorstep one day saying, I'm your kid. Which gave me the idea for this story. I'm probably not this first to write something like this, but this is my take on Dean being a teenage father. **

**Disclaimer: obviously I do not own Supernatural, or any of the characters that appear in that show. The characters you do not recognize belong to my imagination and all spelling errors are mine too. **

**Dean is 19, which makes Sam 15.**

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It was just not his day. First he got into a major argument with his father. He wasn't supposed to be up and around just yet after the injuries he sustained during the last hunt, the ones that had kept them here in this town for way too long. Yet this morning he showed up downstairs announcing he was going to the library to research the next hunt. He had tried to reason with his father, persuade him to let Dean do the research for him, but he wouldn't, claimed he was going to lose his mind if he stayed in bed one more day. Dean was to keep his nose out of his father's business. And then he stormed out, slamming the door shut.

Not 10 minutes later his little brother proved he took after their father, even if he couldn't see it himself. The kid was obviously sick, no doubt picked up something from when they had to go to the hospital to visit their dad because he was stuck there for a whole week. Dean wanted him to stay in bed, catch up on some sleep or something. When Dean was Sam's age he would've taken every opportunity to stay at home. His father wouldn't let him drop out until he was at least 16 and until then he wasn't to skip school because it would draw unwanted attention. But Sam insisted he was fine and desperately wanted to go to school, something about perfect attendance. Dean didn't understand why he bothered, they'd be out of here soon enough and then he'd have to start all over again, nobody would care he had perfect attendance at this school.

And yet he had just dropped off his stubborn little brother, telling him to take it easy, and with strict instruction to call him if he needed to be picked up. He didn't have a fver, which was the only reason Dean had succumbed to Sam's pleading. Or so he tried to convince himself, of course the puppy dog eyes had nothing to do with it. And even if he had refused to bring his brother to school, he was sure Sam would've found a way to sneak out and get there anyway. Besides, Dean didn't think he could've stand a whole day of his little brother's whining.

So now he was home alone, bored out of his mind, waiting for his father to return so that he could apologize. Not that he thought he was wrong, but sometimes you just had to swallow your pride to keep the peace.

Just as Dean was about to go for a run to at least have something to do, somebody knocked on the door quietly. It couldn't be his father, even if he had forgotten his key, he wouldn't just knock, pounding was more his style. Add to that the absence of yelling at him to get his ass over to the door and let his father in and John was ruled out. Maybe Sammy though, but it better not be him. Sam knew better than to ignore his brother when he told him to call if he needed to be picked up. He knew how Dean's big brother senses worked and normally tried to avoid triggering them.

But as Dean couldn't think of anyone else who would show up on their doorstep, it seemed as though ignoring him was exactly what Sam had done.  
'Seriously Sam, I told you to…' Dean started as he swung the door open to reveal one of his former girlfriends staring at her shoes embarrassed. Dean tried to put a name to the face, knowing it would make a better impression if he did.

It was her perfume that gave her away. She smelled just like his mother did in whatever memory he had left of her. There was only one girlfriend that used that perfume, and that was Chloe. Taking in the smell and enjoying the memories it brought back, Dean didn't even notice the other, little, human being hiding behind Chloe's legs until he softly let out a 'mommy?' and Chloe turned to pick him up.

'Dean' She said while stroking the little boy's back soothingly.  
'Chloe' He replied, staring at the little boy in her arms, she was way too young to be his mother.  
'Can we maybe come in?' Chloe asked. Of course, where were his manners? He hadn't even noticed he was still standing in the doorway, blocking the entrance.  
'Sure' He said moving aside, making room for Chloe to enter and follow him to the living room. At the question if he could get them something to drink she shook her head.  
'So, how did you find me?' Dean wondered, with all the moving around they did that couldn't have been easy.  
'I uh…tracked your brother's school records. That seems to be the only thing about your family that can be traced.' She answered. She must have been pretty desperate if she traced Sam's school records. He wondered why she so desperately needed to get in touch with him, but figured she wouldn't just tell him. So Dean kneeled down in front of the little boy. He generally had a way with kids and he figured Chloe would talk more easily if her boy was at ease.

'So, what's your name little buddy?' The boy looked up, big green eyes staring up at him.  
'James' He softly replied  
'That's a great name. My name's Dean, but I like James much better, maybe I should be called James' Dean said teasingly, laughing slightly as the boy shook his head frantically.  
'Mine. Me is James, you not James' He replied seriously and giggled at Dean's pouting, placing a little hand on his shoulder as if to provide comfort.  
'Ah well, I suppose Dean's cool too right?' James nodded smiling.  
'And how old is James?'  
'So many fingers' James declared proudly, sticking three fingers in the air.  
'Oh wow, you're a big boy, you're almost grown up!'

Chloe watched Dean interact with her son and smiled sadly.  
'Dean, his name is James' She started  
'Yeah, I got that' Dean answered, not even bothering to look her in the eye.  
'James Winchester' Dean's head snapped up to face his former girlfriend.  
'What?!' He managed to let out.  
'He's yours' Chloe simply stated.

It made sense, he was 15 when he was seeing Chloe, thought she was the one too, until of course his father had finished the hunt and they moved on. With the boy being three years old, including the pregnancy that meant James was created around that time.

'Bu…but, that can't be, we had safe sex, right?' Dean stuttered, unconsciously shaking his head no. No this was not right. The timeframe fit, as did the big green eyes, blond hair and freckles he now noticed on the boy's nose, but it could not be his child. He never did the deed unprotected an children didn't just magically start growing in women's bellies.

'You know as well as I do that that doesn't mean anything, an accident happens before you know it' Chloe retorted. Dean moved to sit on the sofa opposite Chloe, head in hands mumbling something unintelligible.

'Dean, I need you to take care of him' Once again Dean's head snapped up and his eyes grew big. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it again because words didn't seem to come out, he realized he must look like a fish on the dry so he kept his mouth close until he was sure that he had found his voice again.

'You want me to do what? You're just going to march in here telling me that I have a kid that I knew nothing about for three years and announce I have to take care of him? You're unbelievable!' He yelled at Chloe, but stopped when James started sniffing, upset by the yelling.

'It's alright buddy, mummy and daddy are not angry at you' Chloe soothed the toddler, looking at Dean again she started speaking again  
'Dean, I'm sorry. I can't anymore. You're going to think I'm the worst mother in the world for this and you'd probably be right, but I just can't' Tears appeared in her eyes as she said it.

'Chloe, how am I supposed to take care of a child? Look around, does this seem like a place a child could grow up in? But then again, it wouldn't be home for much longer because within days we'll pack our bags and move on again. Those are no conditions for a child to grow up in, believe me, I know.' Dean argued. He did not want his son to have the same childhood he and Sam had. He needed a stable home with a mother to take care of him, to sing him to sleep at night and tell him angels were watching over him. He didn't need to live in countless motels, moving from one school to the next, never really fitting in anywhere. He didn't need monsters and demons that could hurt him, or worse.

'Dean please' Chloe pleaded.  
'Don't Chloe…just don't' The phone rang and Dean considered letting it ring until he thought of Sam. Maybe he needed to get home and Dean not answering the phone would mean he'd walk home.  
'I need to get that. Sit tight, we need to talk about this' He told Chloe, leaving her in the living room while he rushed to the kitchen to answer the phone before it stopped ringing.

'Is this Dean Winchester?' An elderly woman on the other hand of the line asked as soon as Dean had answered.  
'Yes it is, who's asking?'  
'My name is Mrs. Cooks. I'm the school nurse at your brother's school. Sam collapsed during one of his classes. He's running a fever so maybe you could come to pick him up?' She explained the reason for her phone call.  
'Is Sam okay?' Dean questioned as he tied his shoelaces. Chloe was going to have to wait a little while.  
'Yeah, I think it's just the flu, it's going around you know. A little sleep and he'll be back to normal soon enough' The nurse told him and Dean sighed a breath of relief.  
'I'm on my way. Thanks for calling' Dean said before putting the phone down and walking back into the living room.

'Chloe, I'm going to pick up my little brother from school, he's sick. Chloe?' No reply came and Dean looked around the room for the girl, but all he found was a little boy standing in the middle of the room, tears streaming down his face. The toddler stared pleadingly at him 'Daddy?'  
Dean stood there looking at the boy. They should have definitely left this town days ago.

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**So, what do you think? Good, bad? Any advice? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for all the reviews and alerts, I really apreciate it. Here's chapter 2, it's not that spectacular, but I hope you'll like it anyway.**

Dean picked up the crying toddler and held him to his chest, patting his back and whispering comforting words in his ear, like he had done with his little brother so many times. Once James had calmed down a little, Dean went out, with the boy still in his arms, but Chloe was long gone by now. He considered going after her, to try and make her understand that he really couldn't look after his son, but he realized that he needed to pick his brother up.

'So buddy, what do you say we go get your uncle, huh?'

'Unca?' James wondered, his tears dried now.

'That's right, uncle Sam. He's really cool, you're going to love him' Dean replied all the while walking to his car and putting James down in the back. He wasn't quite sure if the kid needed to be in a car seat or something. Neither him nor Sammy had ever been in one, but that was ages ago. He didn't want to get pulled over by a cop, because his son wasn't properly secured. However, seeing as he didn't have a car seat, that was of later concern.

Dean drove not nearly as fast as he would normally, but his worry for his little brother didn't outweigh the security of the little boy in the back. Who, by the way, had forgotten all about the tears from before and was now happily chatting in the backseat. By the time they arrived at Sam's school Dean knew all about James' teddy bear, conveniently named "Bear" and the Power Rangers episode he had watched that morning. And he should probably know about other stuff too, but he stopped listening closely at some point.

'We're here buddy. We're just going to go inside to get your uncle okay?' The little boy nodded.

'Good, I want you to hold my hand and don't run off' Dean stated firmly, lifting James from the car and grabbing his hand before walking in.

It didn't take long before he had located the nurse's office. His big brother instincts spiked when he saw his little brother slumped on a chair, his cheeks flushed from the fever and his eyes closed. Dean kneeled down in front of him and pressed the back of his hand against Sam's forehead, wincing at the heat radiating from him. Sam leaned in to his touch and opened his eyes to slits

'How you doing kiddo?'

'I don't feel so well Dean' Sam said, stating the obvious

'Yeah, I can see that, let's get you home huh?' Sam nodded and Dean turned to face the nurse.

'Did you give him anything yet?'

'Just some Tylenol. That should work, but if the fever hasn't gone down in a day or two you should have him see a doctor' She instructed, Dean nodded to indicate he understood. He knew the drill, it wasn't the first time his little brother needed to be picked up from school because he came down with something.

'Thanks for taking care of him' He said, helping Sam to his feet.

'That's okay, you look after him. Sam, I hope you'll feel better sweetie' She smiled, softly patting Sam's back. All the while James had stood by, eyes wide as he observed the scene, but now he tugged Dean's jeans and when he bent down to the kid, whispered in his ear

'That unca Sam?'

'Yes buddy, that's your uncle Sam, we have to get him to the car. Do you think you can help daddy?' Dean whispered back. James nodded, a big smile appearing on his face.

'Good, you're a big boy, so I need you to stay close to me, but I won't hold your hand' Dean instructed and James nodded again, determined to prove he was a big boy. Dean held on to Sam around his waist, the other hand holding his book bag. They shuffled towards the car and once there Dean helped Sam into the front seat before lifting James and putting him in the back. Sam's sluggish eyes followed his every move as he now for the first time seemed to notice the presence of the toddler.

'Who is he?' He asked the second Dean took place behind the wheel.

'That's my son, long story' Dean said, not sure if there was a point in going into the details right now.

'Figures' was all Sam had to say. Dean had to admit he had expected a little more than that.

'Jeez kiddo, you must be even sicker than I thought. I'm telling you I have a son and he's sitting in our backseat right now and all you have to say is figures' Sam shrugged, but didn't say anything else. He just closed his eyes and seemed to doze off, so Dean turned his attention back to his son.

'Great job buddy' He said quietly so as not to wake Sam up.

'Did I do well daddy?' James asked quietly as well seeming to notice they were meant to be silent though not really understanding why.

'Yeah you did. You really are a big boy. You know what, later we will get you some ice cream, okay? But you'll have to wait until your grandfather gets home' Dean took the big smile that appeared on his boy's face when he mention the ice cream as a yes.

First though they had to get Sam to bed and then wait for his father to get back. He wasn't looking forward to that because somehow he didn't think John would be as easily satisfied as his little brother had been. There would probably be an extensive explanation required, followed by quite the lecture about how they could not be dragging a little boy around with them, how dangerous it would be not only for the boy, because that was a given, but for them as well. And then Dean would have to say that he knew all that, that he had thought it through and that if he couldn't find Chloe, he was going to have to stop hunting. Could he really do that? Stop hunting, settling down to take care of his son? That had always been Sammy's dream, he wanted to have a normal life, get a house, wife and a couple of kids. But not Dean, he got restless when they stayed in one place too long.

Dean was pulled from his musings by James' soft voice.

'Daddy, can we play a game?'

'We're almost home and then we'll play a game' Dean answered as he pulled up in front of the place they called home at the moment. It was a slightly run down, old house that had been empty for some years before his dad had rented it. The furniture was probably made ages before his dad had been born, the stairs creaked and not all windows could be opened, but it was okay. They had stayed in far worse during their childhood. And of course the neighborhood wasn't so bad either. Obviously it was not the richest part of town, but the windows of the surrounding houses weren't covered with wooden boards and they could sleep at night without being disturbed by shootings in the streets. Oh and a park close by, which came in handy right now as well.

Dean got out of the car, telling James to look after Sam for him, hoping that giving the kid a job to do would stop him from getting out of the car and go wandering about. When he had opened the door and threw Sam's bag inside, he hurried back to the car, finding everything exactly as he had left it. He then proceeded half carrying, half dragging his younger brother inside and to bed, followed closely by James.

'We play a game now?' James asked when they came back downstairs.

'Yes we can buddy, what game do you want to play?' James wanted to play hide and seek and it reminded Dean so much of when he and Sammy were younger and he was left in charge, trying to keep his brother occupied so he wouldn't start asking all sorts of questions Dean didn't want to answer. Sammy would always hide in the same places, which suited Dean because he could keep an eye on him whilst pretending he didn't have a clue where his brother had gone. Soft giggling would always give him away and with James it wasn't any different. Even before he had turned around Dean knew he was hiding behind the curtains. That would be the last place he was going to look.

'Twenty' Dean said out loud and turned around slowly, giving James the chance to make sure he was out of sight. Dean made a point of naming all the places he was looking. Right on cue a very quiet giggle came from behind the curtains and Dean walked in that direction on tiptoes. The loud squeal of excitement the kid let out when Dean threw the curtains open to reveal the little boy crouched down, arms hugging his knees, brought a smile to his face as well, right before he glanced towards the ceiling, listening for any sounds indicating Sam had woken up. There were none, but Dean thought it better to make sure Sam could sleep a little longer.

'Hey buddy, come here' He said sitting down on the sofa, James soon came to stand in front of him, holding his arms out to be picked up. Dean complied and placed him in his lap.

'Have you ever been sick?' He asked, but saw his question was met with big, non understanding eyes. Great how was he going to explain that?

'That your belly hurt' He said touching James' belly for emphasize, tickling him a bit and grinning at the soft giggling that followed

'Or that your head hurt and you felt yucky and you were really warm?' He continued, James nodded seriously

'Well, I think mommy told you to stay in bed and sleep' Another nod confirmed this.

'Well, uncle Sam is sick now and he has to stay in bed and sleep, so we have to be a little bit quiet okay?' Dean explained, wishing they were staying in a less old, more soundproof house so that the kid could be as noisy as he could possibly want. He was just a kid and if Sam hadn't been sick, Dean wouldn't have minded if he was loud.

They continued playing, James putting a finger to his lips and shushing him every time Dean said something when a key turned in the lock and John stumbled in.

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**And that was chapter 2, was it good, bad? Any advice? If there's anything you'd like to see happening, let me know as well!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm seriously loving all the reviews, alerts and favorites, thanks so much. Here's the next chapter. I hope you'll like it, because I found it very difficult to write this one.**

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Both Dean and James looked up when John came in. John's eyes scanned the room, went from Dean to the little boy and back to rest on his oldest son, not a word was said but the question was evident on his face.

'Dad' Dean started, not really sure how to break the news. The best way would be nice and easy. Beside him James made the link. If this was his father's father, than that meant they were getting ice cream

'We go for ice cream now daddy?' So much for nice and easy. John's eyes grew much wider and Dean feared if they'd get any wider they'd pop out of their socket.

'Dean?' Was all John managed to bring out.

'Not now buddy. Daddy has to talk to your grandfather for a while. You're just going to watch a cartoon now and then after we go for ice cream.' Dean said, ignoring his father's question, but his eyes never once leaving his father's.

'But mommy says…'

'Daddy says it's okay' Dean interrupted before James could finish the sentence. Averting his eyes for the first time since John had entered, Dean turned the tv on and skipped through the channels until he found a cartoon and faced his father again.

'Can we do this in the kitchen?' Without waiting for an answer he turned and headed for the kitchen. Before going in he looked back to make sure John had followed him and James was watching tv.

'Daddy? Dean?' John started when they were both in the kitchen and Dean had closed the door behind them. He didn't want the kid to hear them.

'Uh yeah, it's sort of a long story'

'I have all the time in the world' John stated and went to sit down. Dean didn't miss the pained look that crossed his face saying that his broken ribs still bothered him.

'Right' Dean said, took a deep breath and told his father all about Chloe's visit, about how she announced James was his and that he had to take care of him and how she disappeared before he had had a chance to object. John's face grew more and more serious during his explanation.

When Dean finished he waited for the lecture he knew was going to come, but it never came. Instead John let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

'And this Chloe, you have no idea how to find her?' He asked and Dean shook his head.

'I suppose we could start looking where I first met her, if I can remember where that was. But with the way she disappeared I doubt she's still there.'

'Well, than I suppose the next house I'm renting has three bedrooms. You can't continue to share with your brother with the kid there as well.' John said and Dean stared at him in disbelief. He fought the urge to yell christo, or throw some holy water at the person sitting in front of him.

'You didn't think I was going to let you deal with this alone, now did you?' John smiled

'Yes…well…no…I wasn't sure what to think exactly' Dean stuttered. For a while the two oldest Winchesters sat facing each other.

'I've got a son dad' Dean said his lips curling in a smile. The term was growing on him. He had a son, he was a father and he liked the sound of it.

'I feel old all of a sudden' John joked, pulling his son in a hug. It was a very rare occurrence and they both would never admit it ever happened even after rounds of torture.

'You should grandpa' And they just sat laughing for a second

'So, how's James taking it?'

'He's already accepted me as his father, Chloe probably prepared him for that, but I don't think the kid realizes his mom is not coming back'

'He'll be alright Dean, it might be hard at first, but he'll be alright. I've seen you with Sammy, you'll be a great father. Speaking of Sam, how is he?'

'He's sleeping upstairs, nurse said it's probably just the flu. I should go check on him' Dean answered and went to get up, but was stopped by his father

'No, let me do that, you go see what your son is up to' John offered.

'Why would he be up to something?' Dean questioned

'Because he's your kid, that's why'

'Oh, come on, I wasn't that bad' Dean objected he was fairly sure that the mischief didn't start until he was older and had Sammy to pull pranks on.

'Yes you were, I'm sure you didn't mean to, but you got up to all sorts of stuff' Dean huffed and followed his dad out to the living room, where James was still watching tv, everything exactly as they had left it. Dean looked at his father, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.

'I suppose he takes after his mother' John commented and went upstairs to check on his youngest son.

'Oh and while you're up there, go to bed, take a nap grandpa, you look bad' Dean called after him, but only got a huff in return. Everything that had happened between them that morning had been forgiven and forgotten.

'So, what do you say I take you to play in the park and afterwards we finally get you that ice cream I promised you' Dean suggested. James got off the sofa and started jumping up and down. Dean's grin widened ever further as he went in search of the kid's coat and shoes that were still in a heap on the floor where they had left them. When he had helped James into them, his father hadn't come back down so Dean took it he had taken his advice.

'Dad, Sammy okay?' He called upstairs, clapping a hand in front of his mouth when James shushed him and he realized what he had done.

'Yeah, he was sleeping you idiot' His father called back when a groan from Sam indicated he had indeed been woken up

'Sorry! Anyway, I'm taking James out, I did promise him ice cream once his grandfather was home' Dean answered, not waiting for his father to agree and walking out the door.

Taking James to the park proved to be a much more of a challenge than Dean had thought it would be. For as well behaved the boy had been back in their living room, as out of order he seemed now. Dean thought he'd seen overexcitement when he took his little brother to the park, but three year old Sam was nothing compared to James. The way he was acting Dean thought he'd never been to a park before.

'James!' He called after the boy when he tried to run off. James halted in his steps and turned to look at him, the smile on his face so big that Dean almost didn't have the heart to call him back, but he did anyway.

'Okay, listen carefully. In a minute you may go play. Daddy is gonna sit right over there' Dean said, pointing at a bench located near the playground where parents could keep watch over their offspring.

'I want you to stay in sight at all times' He continued. 'Do you understand? Make sure you can always see me' When the boy nodded he quickly added 'Have fun' and watched his son run off.

He sat down next to a woman, who appeared to be only a couple of years older than he was. She had long, dark hair that curled around her ears. She waved at a little girl, not much older than James, who immediately turned back to play.

The woman faced Dean and he took the time to study her face. She had big blue eyes that really stood out, the freckles on her nose gave her a somewhat younger appearance.

'You here with your little brother?' She tried, making conversation.

'My son actually' He replied

'Oh wow, and I thought I was a young parent. I had Amy when I was about as old as you are now. That didn't go down too well at home, hadn't finished college yet, didn't have a job either but I suppose you know all about that.'

Dean nodded, not bothering to tell her he hadn't even known he had a son until that very morning.

'My dad was really good about it though, better than I had expected him to be' He admitted, but of course the last thing his father would think about was him not able to go to college because of his son.

'I'm Esther by the way' She held her hand out and Dean shook it.

'Dean, and the little one's James, he's three' He had no idea why he added that piece of information.

'Nice to meet you. Amy's three as well, four next month' She stated and Dean realized he had no idea when James' birthday was. He would have to find a way to figure that out.

'James!' He let out all of a sudden when he saw the boy wandering off to a part of the park that he couldn't see properly from his current position. James didn't seem to notice, because he didn't stop or even look around.

'James!' Dean tried again, a little louder this time, still he received no reaction

'Sorry, gotta go get my boy' He said to Esther, whilst getting up and sprinting after his son. She yelled something after him, but he was too focused on the brown jacket that slowly disappeared between some trees, to catch what it was.

His father had always made them aware of all the possible dangers, human and not human and all of them were going through his head right now. He reached the trees that separated two different playgrounds and between which he had seen James go. For a second he was afraid that he wasn't there anymore, that he had lost his son before ever really having one, but then he heard soft sniffing coming from not very far away from him. He took several more steps in the direction the sound was coming from and found James sitting on the floor with big tears rolling down his cheeks. Dean had planned to get angry, to let James know he wasn´t supposed to go off on his own. He had really wanted to threaten not to go get ice cream, just so the kid knew he was serious about the danger, but the second he saw his son there all that was forgotten.

´Daddy´ James cried, holding his arms out to be picked up. James lifted the boy in his arms and held him close to his chest, carding his fingers through his hair.

'It's okay buddy, daddy is here' He whispered in the boy's ear. The boy sniffed some more, but soon enough his tears dried and Dean put him down on the ground again, kneeling so that he was still facing him.

'Are you okay buddy? Are you hurt?' He asked, he didn't think that James was injured, but he needed to be sure

'I falled daddy' James said quietly. Dean nodded

'I know you did buddy' Dean answered, wiping away the lone tear that was making its way down his boy's cheek with his thumb. Even now Dean knew he should say something about him wandering off, but he just couldn't.

'Come on, we'll get you some ice cream' Getting James some ice cream now to comfort him, when he had failed to listen to his father, would surely not put him in the top 10 of most responsible dads but Dean didn't care all that much. He only wanted to see the little boy smile again. He had promised his child some ice cream, and they were going to get some ice cream. He took his son by the hand and led him back to the playground

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**So, John came home and had a conversation with Dean, did you like what I did with it? **


	4. Chapter 4

**I really wanted to get this chapter up a lot sooner, and I'm sorry for the wait, but I started my new study this week. That on top of my fulltime job means a lot of evening hours, which I normally use for writing, are now spend studying (already) But I managed! **

**Oh tonight's the start of season 5, right? I can't even watch it, and still I'm excited! Everyone who can watch, enjoy. **

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The scrapes on James' knees and hands that were left after his fall had been forgotten the second the woman behind the counter handed him his ice cream. She smiled at him friendly and giggled when the boy's eyes grew massive at the sight of the size of it. Dean realized three different tastes might have been overdoing it, but the kid couldn't chose and he didn't want to make him. He had three years of spoiling his son rotten to make up for.

After they had finished their ice creams, Dean eating half of James' to prevent it from melting, Dean decided they had had enough fun for one day and they went back home.

Sam was awake when they came back home, but John was out for the count and Dean decided to try and keep it that way for as long as possible.

'You stay here for a second' Dean told James, leaving him with Sam in the bedroom while he crept downstairs to get them something to drink. When he came back up he waited in the doorway silently, listening in on his little brother and son. They were happily chatting, or James was and Sam responded every once in a while, sounding tired and weak, but James didn't care all that much and continued babbling, appearing to be completely relaxed in Sam's presence. Dean never thought Sam was good with kids, but then again, how many children did they know that Sam could be good with? When he walked in James' head snapped around, but seeing it was only his father he turned back and continued with his story.

'What do you say we'll leave uncle Sam alone for a little bit huh?' Dean asked after he had forced some water into his little brother. His eyes were drooping and he was desperately trying to stay awake for James.

'Nuh, stay' He whispered. Dean gently pressed the palm of his hand against his brother's forehead, hoping his temperature had gone down slightly, but it hadn't.

'We'll stay, but you're going to sleep' He ordered. Sam didn't even protest and drifted off to sleep within minutes. Dean sat down on his own bed, keeping watch over his little brother. He motioned for James to come and sit on his lap. Dean threw his arms around the little body and hugged him to his chest. They sat like that in silence for a while, but when James got fidgety Dean put him down and got up off the bed himself as well.

'Come' He said to James, taking his hand and leading him to the bathroom. He wetted a washcloth and went back to the room. He was about to put it on Sam's forehead when James reached a little hand up.

'Me help' He stated and took the washcloth from Dean.

'Sure, put it on his forehead, carefully' Dean instructed. Very quietly, so as not to wake his uncle, James came nearer. Standing on the tip of his toes so he could reach, he gently put the washcloth on Sam's forehead and instead of just leaving it there, he started softly stroking his face. Apparently taking care of Sammy was programmed in their genes. Dean lifted the boy up on the bed, situating him behind Sammy so that he could easily reach everywhere.

'You done?' He asked when James paused for a second. The boy shook his head no

'Have to hold it, else it fall' He declared. Holding the washcloth on Sam's face. Dean shook his head smiling.

A yawn of James alerted Dean it was almost a certain little boy's bedtime. Besides, the kid had had quite a day, no wonder he was tired. And they hadn't even had dinner yet.

'You hungry buddy?' He asked and James nodded.

'Let's go downstairs. I'll make you a sandwich, then you're getting a bath and after that you're going to be mister' Dean explained before hoisting the boy up on his hip and carrying him downstairs. There wasn't much food left, he had meant to do some grocery shopping today. A peanut butter sandwich would have to suffice he decided. Luckily the boy wasn't as fussy about his food as Dean has suspected. He ate the sandwich as if he hadn't had anything to eat in a week. Something else that he had passed on to his son, he thought.

After Dean was done bathing James he grabbed a big towel and lifted the boy from the bath. He put him down on the floor and knelt down to face him, rubbing him dry.

'Hands up mister!' He said, trying to look really serious. James giggled and put his hands up in the air. Dean used the opportunity to tickle him under his armpits. The giggle turned into a loud laughter.

'Daddy…stop' James panted.

'What's the magic word?'

'Please…daddy…stop' Dean stopped tickling him and wrapped the towel he had just used to dry the kid off tightly around his small body. He realized he had forgotten to get something clean to put on the boy. He had found a backpack that didn't belong to them in the hallway. It contained clothes for James that would last him about a week and some other stuff he might need, including his bear. Obviously Chloe had left it there, knowing full well that Dean didn't have any of the things he needed to take care of a three year old. She had given it a lot of thought.

Not wanting to drag the child around the house or leave him unsupervised in the bathroom, he took his own shirt off and pulled it over James' head. It reached over his knees and made him look even smaller. James looked down at his feet that poked from underneath the shirt and took in the smell on it, his father's smell.

'It looks like you wearing a dress boy' Dean joked. 'I'll bring you to uncle Sam and then I'll get you a proper pajama' he added, picking the boy up to carry him to his and Sam's bedroom.

'Nuhuh' James protested 'I like' He stated, putting his head down on Dean's shoulder, letting out another big yawn

'Someone's going straight to bed' Dean commented at that

'Story?' James asked with another yawn.

'A little one' Dean answered, but it never came to a story, because before he could think of one James had drifted off to sleep.

When he had brought James' bear up to him so that it would be there when he woke up and had checked on his brother and father to be sure they were still sleeping, Dean dropped down on the sofa, sighing heavily. Staring in the distance he replayed today's events in his mind. He thought of his little boy, and how happy he was that Chloe came by and dropped him off. The boy was great and he would be devastated to miss one more day in the life of his son. He thought of Chloe and where she could be right now, was she thinking of their little boy right now? What had happened in her life that was so bad that she wanted to get rid of the kid? He was the cutest boy Dean had seen since Sammy got his, I'm too old to be cute phase and he couldn't imagine ever dropping him off somewhere to disappear and never see the kid again.

Even if they'd find Chloe he didn't think he could let her leave with James. He was already starting to get attached to the little boy. Beside, the kid had a right to a father.

He realized very well that it meant he would have to make a choice: drag the kid around with them or settle down. He didn't want James to have the childhood he and Sam had. He hadn't been able to protect Sammy's innocence, but he was determined not to let the same thing happen to James. Then he would have to settle down somewhere and he seriously doubted he'd be able to do that. Of course Sam would jump in on the opportunity to have the normal life he so desperately craved. For his little brother Dean would do anything and he had considered getting a house and living with his brother many times. Now James was thrown into the mix that seemed to be the only option. But it meant he would have to let his father go. He knew his father well enough to know he was not going to settle down, even if his sons did. After all the years he had worked so hard to keep their family together, he would be breaking them up right now. He wouldn't be there any more to have his father's back. He would have to see him go off and wonder if he'd ever see him back at all, just like when he was a little boy. He had sworn to himself that was never going to happen, he never wanted to feel like that again.

'Daddy?' James had appeared in the doorway, holding it by one of his legs, dragging it over the floor.

'Can't sleep, huh buddy?' Dean asked, wondering what the kid was doing up

'Me 'fraid, it's dark' He mumbled

'That's okay buddy, come over here. Daddy will protect you' Dean pulled James up on his lap and cradled him, softly singing a song his mother would sing to him when he was little until he was sure James had fallen asleep again.

'It's okay buddy, you sleep. Daddy will be there when you wake up' He whispered in his ear. His worries would have to wait a little while.

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**So far chapter 4. You like? Dislike? Anything you missed or want to see? I'm open for any ideas or suggestions**


	5. Chapter 5

**As promised, another chapter this weekend. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed or put this story on alert. It's really making me write more even though I know I should be studying.**

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Dean pushed open the door to his and Sam's bedroom, allowing James to enter. The boy was carrying, with a little help of Dean, a tray with a bowl of soup for Sammy.

Both of them hadn't slept all too well. Eventually Dean had carried his son back upstairs and got into bed with him still wrapped in his arms.

Not three hours later James had woken up and started crying, not remembering where he was and what he was doing there. Trying to make sure Sam wouldn't wake up, Dean had rushed him out of the room and tried to comfort him. Of course going back to sleep was not an option for the boy now that he was up. So they watched cartoons for a while. Until Dean decided it was time to get Sam and his father to eat something. James insisted he would be the one to bring Sam's food, so Dean had put it on a tray and carried it with the boy up the stairs.

Sam looked up when they entered the room, he had been awake for a while. His face still looked a little flushed from the fever, but all in all, he looked a lot better than he had the day before.

'Unca Sam! You eat!' James said and Sam flashed his famous dimpled grin at him and sat up, taking the tray from his nephew.

'You heard the guy' Dean laughed 'You feeling better?' He added, studying his brother's face, trying to figure out if he'd be telling the truth.

'A bit' Sam shrugged. 'Still feel like someone ran me over though' Dean looked at him worried.

'I'll get you another Tylenol, it's about time for that too. Look after James for me, will you?' He said, lifting James up on Sam's bed and walking out to get Sam the promised Tylenol.

When he came back with a glass water and a pill, James was already happily chatting to Sam, who was now much more involved in the conversation than he had been the day before.

'Me scared of the dark. But daddy and my bear protected me' James told Sam

'They did? Wow. What's your bear called?' Sam asked

'Bear' James replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

'Cool'

'You take this. Soup okay?' Dean broke in, placing the glass of water and the pill on the bedside table.

'Me and daddy made soup, you like?' James wanted to know as well. Sam smiled

'You did, wow, you must be a really good cook than, because your daddy is not and this soup is brilliant' He joked, his smile widening when James covered his mouth with his hand and started giggling.

'Daddy says you sick unca Sam, so me be really quiet' James stated all of a sudden when Sam had finished the soup.

'Yes, he's been a very good boy. And right now, we're going downstairs and let uncle Sam get some more sleep' Dean announced, grabbing James' hand and got the now empty soup bowl with the other hand. In the doorway James turned around and waved at Sam before quickly following his father.

'Morning' Dean said to his father, who was seated at the kitchen table when he and James entered.

'Morning' John answered, not even looking up from the paper he was reading.

'Morning' James echoed, making John look up. Dean watched his father study his son. The only time he had seen the boy was when he came back home the day before. John stretched a hand out towards the boy, not really sure what to do. But apparently James knew the concept of a grandfather very well. He stood in front of John and reached his arms up.

'Up' he simply said and John complied, happy that the kid didn't seem scared of him or anything.

'Me James'

'And I'm John, nice to meet you James' John answered

'Hey dad, what were your plans for today?' Dean asked quickly. He really had to know and he knew that if he gave James the chance to start babbling there would be no way he was going to be able to interrupt.

'Need to do more research'

'Oh, I was sort of hoping to do some digging on Chloe' Dean replied, looking at his son, gauging his reaction to his mother's name. But the boy didn't seem to pay too much attention or at least showed no sign of knowing who Dean was talking about.

'I uh…could do the research here' John offered and Dean looked up at him, wondering once again what had gotten into his father.

'Thanks dad. I'll go right now, will be back soon' Dean answered, hoping to be out the door before his father had the chance to change his mind.

'Both Sam and James have had breakfast already. There's not much else left, I'll bring something for lunch' He called back before closing the door and hurrying off to the library.

Last night Dean had remembered Chloe's last name, Reynolds, which would make the search a whole lot easier. He was still searching his brain for the answer on the question where he had met her, but so far had come up empty. That in itself didn't surprise him at all, after having travelled from town to town for years, they had all sort of molded into one. He hadn't bothered to remember all the names. He was quite sure Sam would still have known if he were in his shoes. But even Sam had given up on remembering all the names of the countless number of girlfriends Dean had had, let alone the towns he met them in.

The search for Chloe Reynolds came up with so many different girls that Dean decided to try a different tactic. Typing in "Chloe Reynolds James Reynolds", he was hoping to find something like an announcement of the birth of the boy, but came up blank. He tried thinking back about the short conversation he had with Chloe before she walked away, leaving James in his care. Perhaps she had said something that could give him a clue as to where he should start looking.

Dean slammed his hand against his forehead when he realized Chloe had said that James was called James Winchester. He hadn't thought anything about it at the time, assuming she had just said that to make him realize the boy was his. But now he understood that the boy was actually called Winchester.

Dean thanked whoever was up there that Moorcroft, the town he had apparently met Chloe in, had decided to digitalize their records. The birth certificate he found provided him with a lot of information. It listed him as the father and at the bottom was his signature which meant he officially claimed the boy as his son. Chloe had obviously found it necessary to forge his signature and it made him realize that perhaps this wasn't an impulsive decision. Also the date of birth told him that the boy had only turned three two months ago, so he wouldn't have to go and throw him a birthday party any time soon.

Now that he knew where he met Chloe, he had a better way of looking in her past. And he started his search, hoping to find something that could explain why Chloe had left James in his care, without even bothering to make sure he could actually look after his son. She had said something about being the worst mother in the world for doing that and Dean couldn't agree more. He found absolutely nothing that could justify her decision which only made him think worse of the girl. There were no deaths in the family for as far as he could see, no other drastic events like fires or robberies or anything. And even if there had been, Dean would've understood if she had told him, if she had made sure that James was safe with him and given him a way to get in touch with her in case of emergency.

'Uh, excuse me sir' Someone behind Dean said, tapping him on the shoulder. He turned around to have face the sweet girl that had been behind the counter when he entered.

'We close at one today' She stated and Dean glanced at his watch. He hadn't even planned to stay at the library for this long. He had promised to be back soon, with lunch. And seeing as there was practically nothing left to eat they would be anxiously waiting his return.

'I'm sorry, I'll leave now' he said to the girl before hurrying of to get lunch.

'Damn it Dean, we've been waiting for ages, where the hell have you been?' John barked at him as soon as Dean came through the door, carrying a bag with burgers and fries for him, his father and his son and some sandwiches for Sam.

'I'm sorry, lost track of time' He simply answered, putting the bag on the table.

'So, what did you find?' John asked, changing the subject. Dean looked at his son carefully, he didn't want James to hear anything he was going to say to his father. That morning he hadn't reacted at all to Chloe's name, but if he continued hearing her name, he would make the link soon enough, he seemed a pretty smart kid. And Dean didn't want to answer any questions about her just yet. He knew it couldn't be long before the boy started wondering where his mom was and why she wasn't going to pick him up or something. But disappointing the boy was something Dean wanted to put off for as long as he possibly could.

'James, go turn the television off' John came to the rescue, knowing what was keeping Dean from explaining. As soon as James disappeared into the living room Dean opened his mouth and started explaining.

'I found absolutely nothing that could explain why she did this, did find his birth certificate though. Dad, he has our name. He's a proper Winchester' Dean beamed, a smile appearing on John's face as well.

'But that, she forged my signature on it, she could've left it open, but she decided to forge my signature, making him officially mine. Why would she do that dad? Was she planning all along to drop him off here?' Dean asked, allowing himself to show his fears to his father.

'I don't know Dean, but we'll figure it out' John answered softly, putting his hand on Dean's shoulder for comfort. He wanted to say something else, but James had come back into the kitchen so he decided to leave it for later.

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**Just another note. I do not know a Chloe Reynolds, it's just a name I picked and there's absolutely no meaning to the name. I hope not to offend anyone by using this name. **

**Same question still goes, any suggestions? Ideas? Things you'd like to see? **


	6. Chapter 6

**Got another chapter finished, to be honest, I never thought I was going to finish it, found it very difficult to get my fingers to type what my mind had thought of. But well, this is the result, I hope you'll like it. This chapter, and the next one(s) are especially for Yohko B. Thanks for the great idea!**

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Dean woke up to James sneezing. He sat up slowly, turning the boy in his arms around and looking at him. He had fallen asleep again with the kid wrapped in his arms. James refused to go to sleep without him there. The poor child was terrified of the dark, another reason why he shouldn't find out about the things his father, uncle and grandfather hunted. If he was this scared of something he didn't even know existed, imagine how scared he would be once he knew everything he had been afraid of was actually real.

'Bless you' Dean said when the kid sneezed again. 'You getting a cold or something?' He asked, placing a hand on his sons' forehead checking for a fever, but finding none. He remembered hearing somewhere that little children picked up sicknesses really quickly. Sammy had too when he was little, even quicker than he did now.

When James sneezed again Dean picked him up and carried him from the room.

'No more sitting with uncle Sam buddy' Dean told the little boy, not willing to take any chances with his health.

'But daddy…' James started

'I'm sorry buddy, don't want you getting sick too' Dean simply said, James pouted but didn't say anything else.

'You sure you're not Sammy's kid?' he laughed looking at the boy's face, his pout almost identical to Sammy's oh so familiar "I'm not getting my way here" look. James glanced up at him, confusion written all over his face. Dean shook his head smiling and dropped the subject.

Even though it was past 8 am, John wasn't out of bed yet, the activities of the day before taking his toll on his still fragile body. He wouldn't admit it to Dean, but, having searched his father for injuries he wouldn't tell his kids about for nearly 15 years, Dean knew exactly when his father was hurting. Deciding it was best if he and James got out of the house for a while, so that both Sam and his father could get some more sleep, he sat James down on a kitchen chair and went to grab his shoes.

When he had the kid in his jacket James let out another sneeze and shivered a little.

'Okay, so it looks like you and I are going to do some shopping after breakfast. You need more warm clothes.' Dean stated, walking towards one of the cupboards where he had been hiding his stash of extra money. He had been saving a little money whenever he could so that he would have something extra when he needed it. He had been thinking about using it to buy Sammy something, but it would be put to better use like this.

'You coming or what?' He said mockingly, holding the door open for the boy who followed him out quickly.

Dean sat down opposite James in the booth in the diner that was located only a few minutes from their current house. It wasn't too fancy, but it was also decent enough for a three year old boy to be having breakfast there.

'So, what do you want for breakfast?' He asked, James shrugged and Dean wasn't sure if it was just because he wasn't sure what he could have or because he didn't really want anything.

'You want pancakes?' James nodded slowly. He wasn't quite as excited as Dean thought he should have been. He knew all the signs, the kid was getting sick too. After breakfast they were going back home, and the kid was going back to bed.

'Hey bud, we'll have breakfast and then you're going back to bed' He told the little boy who now looked up and shook his head.

'Shopping daddy. You said we go shopping' He mumbled.

'I know I did, but we will go later. I promise' Dean replied

'No, daddy now, please' James pleaded with his father, big eyes looking up at him, begging him to give in and take the boy shopping. He still needed perfecting his puppy dog eyes, but still Dean found it hard not to give in. Besides, it shouldn't have to take all that long and the boy would be held in bed for the rest of the day so he at least deserved to have a little fun now. He realized that he already had given in and he silently cursed himself for letting another little boy get to him in such way that he could get him to do pretty much anything.

'Okay, we'll go shopping after breakfast. But we'll get you some warm clothes and then we leave again, alright?' Dean said, more than asked, but James nodded anyway.

'What can I get you?' The waitress asked. She was 17, maybe 18 years old and she was fine looking. She brushed her long, blond bangs from her eyes with one hand whilst smiling sweetly at the two of them. If James hadn't been with him, Dean definitely would have flirted with her, but he had to behave in front of his son.

'We'd like some pancakes please. Some juice for him and some coffee for me' Dean ordered. The girl scribbled it down and faced James

'What kind of juice you want sweetie' she asked with a horribly sweet voice. James glanced at Dean as if asking if it would be okay to answer, Dean nodded at him encouragingly

'Apple please' He answered quietly, not daring to look at the waitress.

'Apple it is' She said and turned to walk away. Dean couldn't help but inspect her tiny behind. It was okay, but nothing he would miss out on.

Dean tried starting a conversation with James, but the else so talkative boy didn't seem to be in the mood to chat and eventually Dean gave in and ate his pancakes in silence. When he was done he frowned at the amount still left on James' plate. He was pushing the pieces Dean had so carefully cut for him around with his fork, but he seemed to have no intention of actually putting another bite in his mouth.

'James, you're three years old, yeah?' Dean asked, James looked up at him puzzled before nodding.

'You think you can take three more bites for daddy? One for each year' Dean tried coaxing him, taking the fork from the little boy.

'Open up the garage, there's a massive double-decker bus coming and he needs to park in your garage' Dean said, holding the fork in front of James' mouth. It was a little game his dad used to play with him and Sammy when they were really little. James smiled and opened up his mouth a little bit

'Hmm…I think the bus is going to get stuck on the ceiling' James opened his mouth a little bit further and Dean quickly put the fork in his mouth.

'One bite for James, one bite for daddy' Dean stated and took a bite himself as well.

'Nuh uh daddy, mine' James exclaimed, covering the plate protectively with his arms so that Dean couldn't reach it.

'So that means you're going to eat it all?' Dean jumped in on the opportunity to get his son to eat a little bit more.

'Garage open' James said before opening his mouth wide open and taking his arms away from the plate, Dean picked up the fork again and scooped another piece of pancake on it

'Oh look at that school bus, it wants to park in your garage, still some place left?' James ended up eating most of his food and Dean quickly emptied the plate before paying for the breakfast and carrying James out to the car again.

Dean parked the Impala in front of the mall and sighed loudly. He could do this, the mission: getting James some warm clothes, in and out in under 15 minutes.

'Come on boy, let's get you something else to wear' Dean said and took James by the hand.

'Remember, we won't stay very long, just to get you some clothes. Stay close to me' He explained once again to James who silently nodded and followed his father into the mall.

Standing in the children's clothes section Dean sighed again. He had no idea how to do this, he remembered vaguely dragging Sammy through the store whilst his father would randomly get things from the racks and throw them in the cart. Sam was definitely not a shopping person so neither of them tried to get him to participate in the event until he was a little bit older. James on the other hand seemed to love the whole experience. Finally a hint of the smile he had be sporting for the last couple of days had returned to his face so Dean decided he could be actively involved in the shopping.

'So, which ones do you like?' Dean asked, James didn't move and stood staring shyly at all the clothes. Okay, not that actively involved just yet. Dean randomly picked sweaters from the racks and held them up for James to judge. After a while he got the hang of it and started pointing at the things he really liked. That quickened their pace and soon enough Dean thought they had enough to last the boy until he had grown a good few inches so he steered them towards the checkout.

On the way back to the car they passed a store where they sold toys, Dean was going to walk passed, but James stopped moving and tugged on his sleeve. When Dean turned to face him the boy was stood, thumb in mouth, holding his nose with the rest of the hand and using the other hand to point at a particular cute looking stuffed penguin.

'You like that buddy?' James nodded, thumb still in his mouth. Ah well, the kid was sick, the clothes were cheaper than he thought they'd be and he still had some money left. He might as well buy him a gift.

They walked back out of the mall ten minutes later than Dean had planned, but he was satisfied none the less. He ended up not only buying the stuffed penguin, but some other toys as well, figuring they had nothing for the kid to do other than watch tv. He glanced over at his boy, smiling when he saw the kid was fighting to keep his eyes open, but he still seemed really happy, clutching the penguin to his chest.

'Let's get you home buddy' He whispered as he lifted the kid into the car.

His father was up when he entered the house again, holding a now sleeping James in his arms and rushed to his side to help him with the bags he had dropped the second he came through the door. Dean couldn't help but notice the gasp his father was desperately trying to hide from him when he bend down.

'It's okay dad, I'll get it later. First I'm taking the little one to bed. It seems as though he has caught Sammy's flu' Dean said, walking past his father and towards the stairs.

'Dad, I said it's okay' He repeated. He didn't even have to look back to know his father was stubbornly going to pick up the bags anyway.

'Dean' was all his father said and Dean knew not to start this fight again.

Once upstairs Dean put James in his pajamas again, a task he managed without waking the kid, and laid him down on the bed. He stood back looking at the little figure sleeping on the big bed, took off his shoes and shirt and laid down next to him, because in all honesty, he wasn't feeling too hot himself either.

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**And that was chapter 6, I've already written out parts of the next chapter, which is good because my weekend is stuffed with all kinds of other stuff and I'm not really sure when I'll have the opportunity to write more.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so, so sorry for making you wait this long and I apologize for the crappy chapter that I've come up with. This weekend has been really busy and than my hyperventilation acted up again and I wasn't really up to doing pretty much anything. Even lying on the couch watching tv felt like hard work, but I did it, I finally got this chapter done. Hope you'll like it anyway **

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He thought taking a nap would make him feel better, but it had only made matters worse. He felt crap, there was no use denying it, he felt complete, utter crap. Everything hurt and his head felt as though it was stuffed with cotton balls. Dean sat up a little and took James in his arms, careful not to wake the boy. When he was sat with his back against the headboard he laid the kid back down, head resting in his lap and his fingers carding through the short blond hair. He sure hoped the kid didn't feel close to the way he was feeling right now.

'Dean?' John's head peaked through the door. When he saw his oldest son he opened the door further and walked to Dean's side, putting his hand on his forehead.

'Seems as though James is not the only one who has caught Sammy's fever son' He stated

'No, I'm okay, just a little tired I suppose' Dean tried, knowing full well there was no way his dad would buy it, especially not with the fever he was probably sporting and the way his voice cracked when he said that, probably didn't help either.

'Sure you are. Listen boy, you are going to get some sleep, I'll get Sam into my bed so that James can have his'

'No need dad, we're fine' Dean couldn't help but argue. His dad was in no state to look after all three of them. He couldn't afford to be sick, or at least for his father to know that he was sick.

'I wasn't asking Dean' John said walking out the door, Dean assumed he was going to make his bed or something.

When John came back in the room he walked straight to Sam, gently shaking the boy's shoulder

'Sam?' He said softly, trying to wake him up.

'Sam?' He tried again when he received no reaction. Sam began stirring and slowly opened his eyes.

'Hey kiddo, how you feeling?' John asked

'Tired, everything…hurts' Sam mumbled.

'You can go back to sleep in a second kiddo. But your brother and nephew got sick as well, so I need you to sleep in my bed, so James can have yours' John explained to his son

'Kay' Sam answered, still sleepy 'Sorry Dean' He added, throwing a glance in the general direction of Dean's bed.

'Nothing to be sorry about Sammy' Dean answered, watching their father gently help Sam sit up and wrapping his arms around the boy's chest. Dean wondered if maybe his father had hit his head just a little harder than they'd thought and the concussion he had had, had given him some strange side effects. Not that he minded the return of the gentleness that his father had seemed to have lost after that horrible evening that his wife, their mom, had been ripped away from them, but it felt weird.

'Need help dad?' He offered, already lifting James from his lap and pulling the covers back.

'No Dean, you're staying in that bed' John ordered. Normally Dean wouldn't question an order, but this time he was concerned about his father's health.

'Dad, just let me help him to your room, I'll get straight to bed afterwards. Please?' He tried convincing his father. Even though he really did not want to lay in bed, he knew his father was probably right and he should be in bed. Eventually John gave in and Dean didn't know if it was because he thought it would be the fastest way to get him back in bed or whether he was actually admitting to himself that it would be better for his broken ribs if he let Dean carry Sam. Probably the first one though.

'We'll talk about this later Dean' Okay, his father hadn't lost his normal ways just yet.

'I was counting on that' Dean muttered under his breath, walking to Sam's side and wrapping an arm around his chest the other one under his knees and lifted him.

'Damn it Sam, you're getting way too heavy for this' He grumbled, carrying his brother over to their father's room and dropping him unceremoniously on the bed, almost tumbling after him.

'Sorry Sam' He quickly apologized after regaining his footing.

'Go to bed Dean' John ordered

'Yes sir' He was no longer in the mood to argue any further, he felt really dizzy and lying down sounded pretty good right now. He stumbled back to his own room, sitting down on the edge of his bed, putting his head in his hands and sighed loudly.

'I meant go lie down in the bed Dean' His father said as he walked into the room a little while later, Dean looked up, he hadn't heard him come in.

'James' He simply said.

'I got him Dean, go to sleep now' And it was all he really needed, because he didn't even remember his head hitting the pillow.

He woke up again from a soft moaning coming from the bed next to him. He had shared a room with Sam and his nightmares for years and he seemed to always wake up exactly when another bad dream was torturing Sam.

'Sam?' He questioned, turning to face his little brother, and coming to the realization it was not his brother, but his son in the bed next to him and he shot up immediately.

'James?' James continued moaning, but did not wake up. Dean got out of bed and went to sit down next to his kid.

'Hey buddy. It's okay daddy's here' He whispered as he cradled the kid in his arms, holding him to his chest and softly stroking his head. He felt the heat coming from the boy's skin and he winced. The boy was burning up.

Another load moan and Dean pulled him even closer

'Ssh, you'll be okay buddy' He whispered in the boy's ear as he gently rocked him 'You'll be okay'

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew someone was softly shaking his shoulder. He tried to shake whoever it was off, he didn't want to wake up, he was too tired.

'Dean?' His father's voice, Dean forced his eyes open and looked at his father groggily

'Hey kiddo' It had been years since his father last said kiddo to him 'Sorry to wake you, I need to take his temperature' A hand landed on his forehead 'And yours' His father added.

Dean nodded, shifting to give his father room to stick the thermometer in James' ear. He waited for the beep and his father said something, but he had no idea what it was and then he felt the thermometer entering his own ear.

'Dean?' His father again, he faced his father and tried to focus.

'Dean, I'm calling a doctor' That got Dean's attention. It wasn't his father's habit to call doctor, they knew enough about first aid and illnesses to take care of themselves.

'No need to dad, we'll be fine' he croaked.

'Dean, believe me, I'd rather not and if it was just you and Sam sick than I wouldn't , but with the kid…' His father explained. Something seemed to click in Dean's mind.

'James, he real sick?' He asked his father

'It's just the flu kiddo, but with the fever getting this high, I'd rather not take any chances. Besides, we do not have any children Tylenol or something like that and I don't want to leave you guys alone to get it'

'Dad, we'll be okay. I'll look after Sammy and James' Dean argued. He didn't know why, but he didn't want his father to call a doctor. It didn't feel natural to him, only if it got really bad they'd get medical attention. He didn't want to think about James being sick enough to actually need a doctor.

'Dean, I'm not negotiating on this one, I'm calling a doctor and that's the end of it' John stated and got back to his feet.

'Dean, he'll be okay, I promise' He said, ruffling Dean's hair and walking out of the room to call a doctor.

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**I honestly hope to have the next chapter up a little bit sooner. Oh and I meant to thank everyone for reviewing, can't say it enough, but it's really appreciated**


	8. Chapter 8

**Again a bit late, I apologize. Oh and I just wanna say a massive thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter, they made me feel much better. Hope you'll like this chapter!**

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Dean hated to admit it, but he had fallen asleep before the doctor could arrive and had slept through his entire visit. Sam hadn't though and had apparently insisted on sleeping in his own room, because he was currently sitting up against the headboard of Dean's bed, staring intently at him and James.

'Dean?' He asked when he realized Dean was awake, he sounded a lot better

'Yeah?' Dean sat up a little himself as well so that he could face his little brother, breaking into a coughing fit as he did.

'Could you uh…tell me something about him?' Sam asked, nodding his head at the little boy in Dean's arms.

'What do you wanna know?' He asked as soon as he had the coughing under control.

'Well uh, where did he come from? One minute it's just you, me and dad, next thing I know you have a kid' Sam tried to explain

'Seriously Sam, I don't have to explain to you where children come from, now do I?' Dean joked, taking a sip of water trying to get his voice to sound less like he'd been a chain smoker for years.

'You know what I mean'

'Yeah, alright. It's a pretty long story though'

'Oh well…I uh…can wait, you know…until you feel better?' Sam suggested, making it obvious to Dean that he found this a very uncomfortable subject.

'That's okay. You see, when you got sick and insisted on going to school, one of my ex girlfriends showed up'

'Who?'

'Chloe' Dean answered and Sam nodded knowingly. It wouldn't surprise Dean if Sam had a better memory of all his ex girlfriends than Dean himself did.

'And well, she had the little guy here with here. At first I had absolutely no idea who he was and then she just told me his name is James Winchester. And I was like…what? And then she went like, you have to take care of him and Lord knows I can't take care of a little boy, but she wouldn't even listen to my objections and just took of the second the nurse from your school called saying you were sick and needed to be picked up.' For a second Dean considered telling his little brother about the worries he had. But he decided against it, he didn't want his brother to worry for him as well, and knowing his brother the way that he did, he knew that worrying was exactly what Sam was going to do.

'You can though Dean, you took care of me' Sam answered and Dean didn't really know what to say to that. They remained silent for a while both lost in their own thoughts when Sam broke the silence once again.

'Dean? I'm sorry' The softly spoken apology came as a surprise to Dean

'For what?'

'Getting you sick, and James' Sam mumbled, looking down at his hands nervously. Of course, the kid had a tendency to take the blame for pretty much everything

'I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose Sammy. 's Not your fault' He tried reassuring his brother, knowing that the kid wouldn't let go of it just yet.

'Yeah well, I shouldn't have gotten sick' There it was. Dean wasn't sure how his brother always managed to find something in every bad situation that could make it his fault somehow.

'Well, as soon as you find out how to do that, let me know, we could get stinking rich' Dean shot back, he had learned early on that it was best not to take Sam all too seriously at times like these

'I'm serious Dean'

'As am I Sam. Don't you know how much people would be willing to spend for a way to never get sick again?'

'Dean' Sam whined

'Sam' Dean imitated Sam in his best whiny voice. He tried to stop the next coughing fit, but failed miserably.

'Dean you okay?' Sam questioned, pulling the covers back, ready to get out of the bed if Dean needed him to. Dean noticed the boy in his arms stirring and he attempted to stop the coughing in order to prevent the boy waking entirely, but couldn't.

'Dean?' Sam sounded genuinely worried, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed he was by his big brother's side in seconds, patting him on the back gently. When that didn't help he got the glass of water from the bedside table and tried getting his older brother to swallow some, but Dean kept bringing it back up. When Dean had the idea that any more water half down his throat was going to make him choke he waved his little brother's hand away.

'Daddy?' James asked, his voice still thick from sleep, looking up at his father worriedly. Dean wanted to say something to the boy, but couldn't, instead he carded his fingers through his hair in an attempt to comfort the little guy.

'Daddy okay?' James wanted to know, lifting his head so that he could properly inspect his father. He looked at Sam's hand on Dean's back and mimicked his uncle, putting his little hand on Dean's back as well. It brought a smile to Sam's face.

'You have a magic touch kid' He said to the boy when Dean's coughing eased a little. James looked at him with a confused look, yawning loudly. Sam just smiled, shaking his head.

'Daddy better?' James asked, with another yawn.

'Yeah kid, you did really well. You know what, you go to sleep and I'll take care of your daddy, okay?' Sam comforted his nephew, stroking his forehead and continued the motion after the boy had nodded and until he was sound asleep.

'Thanks' Dean whispered.

'Yeah well, you get some sleep too. I got you sick, so now it'll be my job to watch over you' Sam said to his brother when he saw his eyelids were drooping too. Dean wanted to argue about the statement that Sam was the reason they were sick or make a snappy remark about Sam seeming to forget who was the older brother here, but he couldn't be bothered, he was too tired. Instead he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He had been awake for a little while and just sat up with Sam, talking about absolutely nothing at all, bored out of their minds. Dean had tried convince his father to let both him and Sam go downstairs, watch some tv and let James sleep peacefully, but he had refused. Turned out that John wasn't only stubborn enough to ignore doctor's commands when they concerned his own health, the same stubbornness made his sons follow every command the same doctor had had concerning their health. And the doctor had said they needed to stay in bed and so john wasn't going to let them get out of bed, even after they had claimed they felt much better. Dean had the sudden urge to empty the entire contents of his stomach, not that that was a whole lot, in the toilet.

'Sam, take James' He ordered and waited for his little brother to lift his son from his lap before sprinting towards the bathroom to do just that.

'DAD?!' He heard Sam hollow before he was sick all over the floor. Reaching the toilet he sank down on his knees, arms on the toilet seat and head resting on his arms. He felt drained from all his energy. Not much later someone sat down next to him, he guessed it was his father and sure enough seconds later his father's large hands grabbed his shoulder and lifted him up.

'You done Dean?' He asked softly. Dean shook his head and bend down over the toilet again, dry heaving when there was nothing left in his stomach to get rid of. His father never left his side, stroking his back soothingly. When he thought he was done he lifted his head from his arms and looked at his father. John took the hint and helped him up. Dean swayed on his feet and his father grabbed his knees as well, carrying him to bed, letting out a soft sigh when he put his son down on the bed.

'Sam, take James and go lay down with him on my bed' John ordered, from the corner of his eyes he saw his little brother nod and walk out the door holding his nephew close to his chest.

'No, 's okay, he can stay, need to…uh…look…after him' Dean muttered.

'No Dean, you're going to bed, and you're going to sleep. Me and Sam will look after James yeah, don't worry about him' Dean nodded meekly, letting his father pull the covers over him and tuck him in.

'You'll feel better when you wake up, Dean' He said sitting down next to his oldest son on the edge of the bed. Dean didn't really register what else he said, because as soon as his head hit the pillow, his eyes closed and he fell asleep again.

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**So that was chapter 8. I wanted to have some sort of conversation between Sam and Dean, did it work? Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Finally the next chapter. I realize that the last couple of chapters were sort of short, so to make up for that this one is slightly longer. I'm having a good feeling about this story again, because I've finally figured out where I'm taking it, writes a whole lot easier, believe me. So on to chapter 9, enjoy**

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Dean woke as soon as he heard James whimper in the bed next to him and was instantly by his little boy's side. It had been three days since both him and James got sick and he was feeling a lot better now. Yet his father still insisted he stay in bed and rest. James on the other hand wasn't. Sam had moved back to their father's room so that James could have his bed. The boy's fever hadn't gone down all that much and the children's Tylenol that the doctor had brought for him, wasn't doing its job. Dean was seriously beginning to get worried now, though his father kept saying that he shouldn't. Sam came with some medical mumble jumble about it making perfect sense that the kid was sicker than both he and Dean had been, no doubt trying to help ease his mind a little, but Dean couldn't get himself to even remotely appreciate the attempt. All he knew was that his kid was sick and it made him feel the same way he always did when Sammy got sick or hurt, only worse, and there wasn't anything he could do to take the pain away.

Dean sat by his son's side, stroking his forehead softly with his thumb, lost in thought when another coughing fit got hold of him. Okay, that hadn't quite cleared up just yet, probably wouldn't for another couple of days. James began to stir and slowly opened his eyes, looking at his father groggily.

'Hey buddy' Dean whispered, never stopping stroking the kid's face.

'How you feeling?' James just shook his head.

'Not well?' Dean asked concerned. James' lip began to tremble and seconds later tears were making their way down his cheeks

'Hey hey, come here buddy' Dean cooed, picking the boy up and putting him in his lap, James immediately buried his face in his father's shirt sobbing quietly.

'It's okay buddy, you'll be okay. You don't have to cry, I'm here' Dean shushed, rubbing the little boy's back in an attempt to provide further comfort.

'Are you hurting?' Dean really needed to know the cause of the tears, if James was getting any worse, he was going to take him to the emergency room immediately, no matter what his father said. James nodded against his chest, not bothering to lift his head up.

'Can you tell daddy where you're hurt?' Dean asked

'Daddy…mommy…where mommy?' James sobbed. Dean was lost for words for a second. It was bound to happen, but he just wished it would have under different circumstances.

'I want mommy' James stated again when Dean didn't answer his question.

'Mommy can't be here right now James, but daddy is here and he'll take care of you, okay' Dean tried to explain. He really didn't want to tell his three year old son that his mother wasn't going to come back for him any time soon, especially not when the boy was sick and all he really wanted was for his mother to hold him and make everything better.

'No…want mommy' James cried a little louder now.

'I know you do buddy, I really know you do' Dean sighed, tears beginning to form in his own eyes as well. He did know how it felt to just really want your mommy and to be told that she couldn't be there and to not understand why not. He didn't want that for his baby boy, but there was nothing he could do about it for the moment.

Dean picked James, whose face was still buried tightly in his shirt, up and started walking around the room, bouncing the boy a little like you would a baby. That motion seemed to calm him down a little, because the crying got less loud and eventually stopped entirely. An occasional sob was the only sound the three year old made. Dean went to put the child down, but as soon as he was back in bed the crying started up again.

'I think he just wants to be held a little longer' Someone said from the doorway. Dean looked around to find his father standing there, he hadn't noticed his presence before.

'Yeah, probably' Dean answered, not really sure whether he believed it himself. He picked James up again and started walking around the room again, all the while whispering comforting words in his ears.

Dean had walked around the room for over an hour and he was beginning to get really tired himself. He had tried putting James down a couple of times, but as soon as his head hit the pillow he would start crying again. It made him pretty desperate, nothing he did would work.

'Need me to take over for a little while?' Sam queried coming in to the room. Without waiting for an answer he reached his arms out for Dean to hand his son over.

'Nah, that's okay' Dean answered.

'Dean, you're dead on your feet. You may not want to admit it, but you haven't completely recovered from the flu either' Sam argued.

'Neither have you' Dean shot back.

' You're not doing yourself or James any good if you keep this up. Just give him to me, I'll look after him, you go have some sleep. I promise I'll take care of him' Sam said, completely ignoring Dean's argument.

'Give him to me Dean' Sam insisted when Dean hesitated. Dean had to admit that he was really tired and that he could use some sleep for a little while. Sam would take care of his boy.

'He'll be okay Dean, don't worry' Sam said when he took James from Dean and went to leave the room. The way he said it made Dean smile, his little brother had obviously not given up just yet on the protector roll he had assumed some days before.

He couldn't help but open the door slightly to listen if he could still hear James crying a couple of times. As long as that was the case he was not sleeping, whatever Sam, or his father, or anyone else for that matter, said.

After about half an hour and his fourth check, the crying had stopped. Worried that something could have happened, Dean snuck towards the living room. Opening the door to a crack he peaked in. James was fast asleep, wrapped in his uncle's arms, who was still crossing the living room, afraid that if he would stop James would wake up and start his crying again. He was humming a tune Dean instantly recognized as Mettalica's 'Fade to Black'. When Sammy was little and Dean had to look after him and put him to bed, he would hum that song to him to get him to sleep. He had absolutely no idea why he chose that song, but it usually worked and apparently it stuck with his younger brother.

'Dean, bed' Sam said, not even needing to look up to know that his brother was stood in the doorway observing him.

'Yes mom' Dean answered mockingly, but he did turn around and went back to his room.

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was James' wailing. He shot up and sprinted out of the room and towards the sound. Sam was in the living room, once again holding James, trying to get him to stop crying.

'Let me try' Dean said, taking his son from his little brother.

'Hey buddy, you have to tell me, does it hurt?' Dean no longer believed the crying was for missing his mommy and wanting to be held or anything, the boy was in pain. James nodded slowly, never stopping his crying, but calming down a little now that his father was with him.

'Can you tell daddy where it hurts?' Another nod was the only answer Dean got.

'Daddy's gonna make it better buddy, but you need to tell me where it hurts' Dean tried again, beginning to get panicky himself.

'Ear hurts daddy' James finally answered, grabbing the ear that was causing his discomfort. Dean turned his face so that he could have a look in the ear. It didn't really look wrong, but as it was causing his little boy so much pain, he didn't really trust it.

'Sam, could you grab him some clothes and stuff, I'm taking him to the emergency room' Dean told his brother, who ran off to get the requested items whilst Dean went to find a pair of boots.

John walked in through the front door, grocery bags in his arms and taking in the scene before him.

'Dean, what's going on?' He demanded as he dropped the bags to the floor.

'I'm taking him to the emergency room dad, he's been crying for hours now and he won't calm down and he says his ear hurt and his fever isn't going down, and I don't care if you think we should wait a bit longer, because I'm taking him there now' Dean rambled, knowing he probably shouldn't address his father the way he did, but he was beyond caring right now.

'Dean, go put some clothes on first. You're right, we'll take him to the emergency room, but you can't go out like that, you've just been sick, hell you're still sick' John ordered, taking charge of the situation.

'But dad…' Dean started to argue, he didn't want to waste any more time, all he wanted was for someone to look James over.

'Dean, that was not a question, nor a suggestion. Because your kid is sick I'm cutting you a little slack here, but I do not wish to be spoken to in that tone' John barked and Dean knew better than to carry on his argument. Instead he turned around with a huff, stomping towards his room to get dressed. He passed Sam on the way and shot him an annoyed look, which he was sure could rival with Sammy's bitch face. He chuckled silently to himself when he realized the rolls apparently had been reversed. There was hope for Sam and his father after all.

James sat on Dean's lap, he was still sniffing quietly, but the actual crying had died down slightly. They had been in the emergency room for over two hours, had been brought to the examining room twenty minutes ago and were still waiting to be actually seen to. It was taking its toll on the little boy, who was fighting to keep his eyes open.

'Hey buddy, if you need to sleep, sleep, daddy will wake you up when they come to look at you, okay?' Dean tried to get him to sleep, but James simply shook his head, the fist that held Dean's shirt clenching tighter, burying his head in his father's chest when a woman in a long white coat approached the bed they were sitting on. Dean looked up at the woman and offered his hand which the woman shook

'Hello, my name's doctor Wood. I'm going to have a look at our little friend here, it's James right? If that's okay with you?' She introduced herself, addressing the last part at James. He looked at Dean questioningly who was nodding his head, before giving a short nod himself. Dean shifted him so that the doctor could have a proper look at him.

'What seems to be the problem?' She asked in a sweet tone, obviously speaking to James and Dean knew he should give the boy the chance to answer, but that didn't appear to be in James' plans.

'Hey buddy, how about you tell the sweet doctor lady what you told daddy?' The doctor's eyes shot up to Dean's face at his words, but she didn't say anything. James however was not in the mood to answer, realizing that she wasn't going to get any information of the little boy she looked up at him, waiting for him to answer.

'He's been crying, nonstop, for a couple of hours now. He's fine as long as someone is holding him, but as soon as we put him back down it starts up again. So when I asked him if anything hurt, he said his ear hurt' Dean explained quickly, turning his attention back to his son.

'Okay, let's have a look, shall we?' She said, taking James' head in her hands. 'He's running a fever too?' She asked when she felt the heat radiating of the little boy. Dean nodded in response. Doctor Wood pulled out a weird looking instrument from one of the pockets of her coat.

'You see this James?' She asked, holding out the instrument for the little boy to see 'I'm going to put this in your ear so that I can have a look at it' She explained to him, sticking the thing in the boy's ear and having a look, turning his head so she could have a look inside the other ear as well.

Turning to Dean she spoke again 'Has he had a cold or something?' She questioned

'He's been having the flu, or well, I thought it was the flu, you see my little brother caught that and he must have caught it from him' Dean told the doctor, not seeing why it mattered, but it seemed to make perfect sense to her, because she was nodding her head.

'Just as I thought. Don't worry sir, your son simply has an inner ear infection. It's quite common with children between 1 and 6, especially after they've had a cold or the measles or chicken pox or something like that. It hurts a lot, but it's perfectly treatable. I'll give you a prescription for some eardrops. Use those 3 times a day and he'll be better in no time' She said, standing up and now offering her hand to Dean and after he had shook it, she ruffled James' hair and walked towards a small desk in the corner of the room. Dean lifted James up in his arms and took the offered prescription of the doctor. With a polite goodbye and a small wave from James they left the room and went in search of his father and brother.

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**And that was chapter 9. I do have some notes at the end of this chapter. First of all, I'm aware of the fact I'm making Dean sleep a whole lot in this story. Well...no more I suppose. Also, you may have noticed that eventhough I'm speaking of fevers I never mention temperatures. That is because I do not know Fahrenheit temperatures. I only have an idea of what's a fever when speaking about degrees Celsius and I don't really trust the converter I found on the internet because him and I have a pretty different idea of what a fever is. Last thing, I am not medically educated or anything, so I apologize for any inaccuracies. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Finally another chapter. Took me long enough, for which I apologize. I had quite a bit written down, and then I went back to reread it and I hated it, so I deleted it and had to start all over again. It's short, but I didn't want to make you wait any longer**

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The eardrops did miracles for Dean, Sam and John's night rest. James no longer cried the second his head hit the pillow and they'd all gotten some sleep last night. Things were now slowly going back to normal, or well, their kind of normal.

Dean sat on the couch with Sam and James, watching some random cartoon when his father came in.

'Dean, I've been doing some research and I think we need to talk' He started. From the corner of his eye Dean saw Sam was about to protest. That wasn't a surprise, seeing as how his brother would always find some sort of excuse to argue with their father about being dragged on a hunt. Normally Dean didn't understand why he would make such a fuss over and over again. He knew this wasn't the life Sam wanted, and it certainly wasn't the kind of life he wanted for his little brother, but he figured it would be best to accept the lifestyle and just go with it. Their father really meant well, he loved them and that's why he was doing this. Sam didn't see that, maybe didn't want to see that.

But this time he agreed with Sammy, he didn't want to go on a hunt, wasn't ready to drag his son into that as well. Deciding this wasn't the time for either one of them to start an argument, considering James was still in the room with them, he shot Sam his best "keep your mouth shut, I'll handle this" look and Sam obliged, closing his mouth and swallowing whatever he had on his mind back. Dean got up of the couch, taking James with him who had been snuggled in his lap and putting him back down next to Sam and followed his father to the kitchen.

'Dad listen…' He started before his father even had a chance to close the door behind them. It was not like that door would stop Sam and James from hearing what was being said in the kitchen.

'Dean' His father interrupted, but Dean didn't want to give him the chance to convince him that it was best to leave now and kill some monster before it could kill any more people. He knew that if his father came with that argument he wouldn't be able to say no anymore.

'Dad, I can't drag James around the country chasing monsters. I need him to be safe and with his mother before I go back to hunting. Finding Chloe goes before everything else. If you want to leave this town for the next hunt, then so be it, but I can't dad, not until I know that James is safe' He ranted

'Dean' his father once again tried to cut in

'Dad, if you want to go, than you should go, but I'm staying here, with James and Sam. Sam seems to like it here, so it would give him the chance to maybe finish the school year here. But dad, I just…want you to stay and help out, please?' Dean pleaded. He was willing to say pretty much anything to make sure his father didn't go off on a hunt by himself.

'Dean' John growled , finally getting his eldest's attention. 'That's not the kind of research I was talking about and if you would've given me a chance to explain myself, I could've told you that! Now sit down and listen' He continued, pointing at a vacant chair and Dean reluctantly sat down.

'I have been doing research on Chloe, Dean. And I think I have found something' Dean's eyes widened at his father's words.

'What did you find?' He asked, eager to hear the answer.

'Well, she uh…she got admitted to hospital quite some times. I only got into the hospitals' records and not the actual medical file so I don't know why, but I know that in the last 2 years she was admitted to at least 5 different hospitals. ' John explained

'You think she's sick or something?' Dean wondered. His father shrugged.

'I don't know Dean. All I know is that we could use it to track her down or something. You see, all these hospitals were in one area, except for the last one, and she came into the ER there the day before she showed up here with James' John continued

'Well, did it say anything about James?' John shook his head no 'Why wouldn't she say anything to me about being sick? Could James have whatever she has too? Where was James while she was in hospital?' John shrugged again.

'Why wouldn't she just say something? I would've understood! It would've made everything really different. And James, does he know? Did he have to see his mommy suffering? And where did she go when she was in the hospital? Why wouldn't that hospital have any record of a three year old boy coming with his sick mommy?' Dean continued, sprouting questions at his father who didn't know the answers to them any more than he did.

'Dean I don't know why she didn't say anything to you about being sick, but we really don't know anything for sure. All we know is that she was admitted to hospital more often than is normal, but we don't know what that means. So best we can do now is stay calm, make sure James doesn't find out about this, because Chloe obviously didn't want him to know if she didn't take him with her to the hospital, and find Chloe' John rationalized and Dean nodded. His father was right. He didn't know what it meant, but he would have to find out.

'I'm sorry dad' Dean mumbled when his father got up to go back to the living room.

'About what?' John asked and Dean wasn't sure if he really had no idea what he was talking about or just wanted to hear him say it.

'Assuming that you'd take off on a hunt or something' Dean explained, head down in his hands in embarrassment. John put his hand on his eldest's head and sighed.

's okay Dean, normally I would have. But with James here, I know you don't want him to have the life you and Sammy had and I don't want him to either. If there had been a way to keep both you and your brother safe without having to come with me, than I would have done that, you know that, right?' Dean nodded his head.

'Come on, Dean, I'll look further into it tomorrow. See if I can maybe find out where she is now, or at least something that gives us an idea where to start looking. Right now I want you to take your boy outside and go have some fun. He's been held inside a little too long' John said and walked out of the kitchen. Dean soon followed.

'James, come on, get your shoes and jacket. We're going outside, have some fun' Dean announced as soon as he walked back in the living room, happy that his father had found something that could possibly lead them to Chloe. James seemed to like the idea of going outside to have some fun as well, because his face lit up the second his dad mentioned it, jumped off the sofa and sprinted towards the front door where they kept his jacket and shoes. Sam sat looking at Dean expectantly, probably waiting for Dean to tell him exactly what had been said between him and his father. Dean however wasn't planning on telling him as long as James was still within earshot.

'You coming too?' He asked and Sam's face lit up, much like James' had done seconds ago, making Dean wonder if perhaps Sam had been waiting to get invited as well. He nodded his head frantically

'Well, what are you waiting for, go get your shoes and jacket than' Dean laughed as his brother ran upstairs to get his stuff when James returned carrying his. He dropped everything unceremoniously on the floor at Dean's feet and went to drag a chair from the kitchen to the living room. Dean looked at his activities incredulously.

'What are you doing buddy?' He asked. James looked around with a look on his face that clearly said "isn't that obvious" and sighed loudly, making Dean laugh

'Getting a chair daddy' he replied

'I can see that buddy, but why are you getting a chair?'

'Causeeee you need to put on my shoes' James declared, climbing up on the chair. Dean lifted him and helped him get up on it.

'And you couldn't sit down on the sofa because…?' Dean asked, still not understanding. James shrugged.

'You long, easier' He stated and finally Dean got it.

'Thanks buddy, very thoughtful of you' he praised the kid, ruffling his hair when Sam walked back into the living room, also carrying his shoes and jackets.

'Throw it down on the floor over there, get yourself a chair from the kitchen and I'll help you put your shoes on in a second Sammy' Dean mocked

'Jerk' Sam shot back immediately, without thinking about it.

'Sam, in case you haven't noticed, there's a three year old in the room with us and I sure would appreciate it if you could watch your language in front of him' Dean lectured his little brother.

'Daddy, uncle Sam is really long too' James interrupted

'Yeah he is sort of tall isn't he' Dean said, and bending down to whisper in James' ear he added 'Don't tell him I said this, but I think he's going to be taller than I am' James' eyes widened in shock.

'Will I be really long when I get big?' He asked.

'Sure buddy, I think you will make uncle Sam look small when you're older' Dean replied with a smile, crouching down in front of James to put his shoes on. When he finished he helped the boy of the chair and into his jacket, taking him by the hand he led him outside, Sam following closely behind.

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**Chapter 10, yay! Thanks so much to everyone that has read, reviewed, alerted and/or favorited this story. Seeing notifications of that in my inbox just keeps on brightening my days. I'm working on the following chapters, have one about 2 or 3 chapters from here written out already, now it's just a matter of getting to that point...I hope to have the next chapter up a bit sooner than this, but I can't make any promises. The coming week is just packed with activities and it's already driving me nuts. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, if there's anything you missed or want to see and I'll try and get that in.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so my head didn't explode even though I thought that maybe it was going to. Which was mainly because of the fact that I was sick all week. Yohko, I think you're right, it must be karma or something. And when I finally finished this chapter my internet stopped working so I couldn't even get the chapter up. Annoying much? **

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It was very silent in the park, mainly because of the cold, windy weather. Dean zipped his jacket up a little higher as he shivered slightly. If it was up to him they'd turn around, get in the car and have some coffee, hot chocolate for the youngest two, in the nearest diner. Though James was really enjoying himself, running around the park, with Sam chasing after him. Dean stayed back, keeping an eye on things, looking out for anything or anyone that could possibly endanger his family.

'Daddy!' James exclaimed as he threw himself at his father. Dean let out an 'oof' as he caught his son and hoisted him up on his hip.

'Yeah buddy?'

'Can we feed ducks? Unca Sam says I can if you say okay' James stated, trying to pull off the puppy dog eyes. He then turned back to Sam to see if he did it okay. Sam nodded at him encouragingly and held his thumbs up smiling.

'Oh and he told you to look at me like that, now did he?' Dean asked the little boy, faking anger. James nodded shyly and buried his head in his father's chest.

'You need a little practice, but I'm sure you'll have all the girls wrapped around your little finger if you look at them like that' Dean said, carding his fingers through the boy's hair. James looked back up at him with a confused look.

'You'll be really happy with that when you're a little older' Dean laughed.

'Ducks, daddy' James said in a stern voice, trying to get his father back on topic.

'Yeah sure buddy, you can feed the ducks, but be careful okay? I think I have some old bread in the Impala. Now, you take that rebel uncle of yours to the lake and I'll go get the bread from the car' Dean said as he put the boy down.

'Make sure he don't run of anything okay?' Dean added and James nodded with a huge grin spreading on his face. Grabbing his uncle's hand he started pulling him towards the lake. Dean watched the two of them walk off before turning around and heading towards the car.

It took him a while to locate the bread, under the passenger seat. It had only been there for a day or two, left after his last food run, ending up forgotten in the trunk and thrown over the seat because it was in the way, and wasn't too moldy. Not that the ducks would mind. Deciding to also bring the juice he had bought for James in case he got thirsty he fished that out of the trunk as well. He was just on his way back when a loud splash, followed by James' terrified scream made him drop the stuff he was holding and sprint towards the lake.

Arriving at the scene he was terrified when he saw his little boy in the water. He was about to jump in, but considering Sam was already holding him up and nearing the pier, Dean dropped down on his belly instead, holding his arms out to take James from his brother. The little boy was shaking from the cold water, still coughing and sputtering to get rid of the water that had obviously found its way down his throat.

'It's okay buddy' Dean said and he realized he had been saying that an awful lot since he had gotten to know the kid. Dean looked back at Sam, who was still in the water, attempting to pull himself up. Dean held out his free hand and pulled his brother onto the pier as well before turning his attention back to James.

Dean quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it tightly around the small shoulders, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm the sobbing boy up a little. Sam wrapped his jacket around the boy as well and Dean shook his head. The kid was shivering, his teeth chattering, what was he thinking?

'No Sammy, you need to put that on yourself' Dean wasn't just annoyed with his little brother, he was downright angry with him, but Sammy was still his little brother and it was his job to look after him.

'N…no…Ja…James…needs…needs…more' Came Sam's shaky reply. Dean wanted to take the jacket of his son and force his brother to put it on himself, but decided against it. The kid was as stubborn as their father and making him wear the jacket was gonna take time that he would rather use to get the two of them back in the car and warmed up before they would both be laid up in bed again.

'm…'m…so…sorry…Dean' Sam stuttered.

'Not now Sam, first we're going to get both of you warmed up' Dean cut his brother off, lifting James up and carrying him towards the Impala. He didn't say anything else to his little brother, afraid that he would say something that he would regret if he did. Sam followed a few steps behind them, shoulders hunched over, face down. Dean knew the look, the kid was feeling miserable, but right now, Dean couldn't bring himself to care. He had left his son in Sam's care, and his son, too young to be able to swim, ended up in a lake. He had trusted his little brother with the life of his son, he had a right to be angry with him. Of course Sam had pulled James from the water, he had made sure he didn't drown, but Sam should've made sure he didn't end up in the water in the first place.

Finally they reached the Impala and Dean wasted no time putting James down in the backseat. For once he didn't think about the water ruining the leather of his seats.

'Sam, get in the back, maybe you can provide each other some body heat' Dean ordered, more than suggested. Sam didn't say anything, but did as he was told, taking James in his arms and cradling him close to his chest.

Dean got in the driver's side and cranked up the heat as soon as he had started the engine. It didn't take long before the air started feeling uncomfortable hot to him. Looking in the rearview mirror he saw Sam's teeth hadn't stopped chattering though, so he turned the heat up some more. James was sleeping in his uncle's lap, Sam's fingers carding through his hair in a soothing motion.

Neither Sam nor Dean tried to start a conversation. Sam just sat staring in the distance and Dean was dividing his attention between the road in front of him and his little boy behind him.

Once again Dean was glad that they lived close to the park because soon enough he pulled up in front of their house. Cutting the engine he turned around and wordlessly took James from his brother. Holding the boy, who had woken up the second he had left his uncle's lap, to his chest with one arm he got out of the car and walked towards the house with long, big strides. He didn't even turn around to see if Sam was following him. Walking in to the house Dean noticed it looked tidy, but didn't think anything of it. When he reached the top of the stairs he looked back and saw his little brother about to walk up the stairs as well, though much slower than Dean had done due to the wet jeans weighing him down, making moving very difficult.

Dean walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on, he stripped James of his clothes and had just put him in the bathtub when Sam entered as well.

'Come on Sam, get in the shower as well. We don't need you getting sick again either' He said softly as he took in the sight of his little brother standing before him. Sam shrugged, but did start pulling on his shirt. His fingers, cold as they were, would not comply however. Dean could not watch him like this, no matter how angry he was with the kid.

'Here, let me help you' Dean unbuttoned Sam's jeans and winced at the coldness of his little brother's skin. The fact that Sam nodded meekly, and let his older brother help him out of his clothes and into the bathtub with his nephew showed exactly how miserable he was feeling. Dean noticed, but didn't do anything about it just yet. After he had gotten James warmed up and tugged in bed, they would talk about it.

Dean was sat on the sofa, with James snuggled to his chest, watching a really lame movie for kids, when his father entered. It only took him one glance at his oldest son to know something had happened.

'What's wrong?' He asked. Dean shrugged but didn't say anything.

'Dean' John tried again, this time in his "don't you dare disobeying me" voice.

'James fell in the lake when I left him with Sam to get some bread because James wanted to feed the ducks' Dean explained. John nodded

'Kid okay?' Dean's turn to nod

'And Sam?' Dean shrugged this time. He hadn't seen Sam since he had disappeared from the bathroom to get dressed. Or at least, Dean assumed Sam had gone to get dressed.

'Dean?'

'Yeah, I know. Look after him for a while would you?' Dean answered his father's unspoken question. He got up and went in search of his little brother.

'Sammy?' Dean called, but there was no answer. Dean pushed the door to their bedroom open. His brother was sitting on one of the beds, back towards the door, head in his hands.

'Sammy?' Dean said softly, approaching the bed and putting his hand on Sam's back. Sam looked up and Dean saw a tear making its way down his cheek. Dean wiped it away with his thumb, all his anger dissolving at the sight before him.

'I'm sorry Dean. I'm really sorry' Sam sniffed, Dean pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back. Sam, full on crying now sobbed in his shoulder.

'I thought the water wasn't deep, I thought it was okay if he didn't go too near the edge, but then he slipped and I tried grabbing him, but I couldn't reach him, and I was too late and I thought he was going to drown and I jumped after him, but I wasn't fast enough and he went under water and I was so scared Dean, I was so scared that he would drown and it would be my fault' Sam ranted and Dean sighed loudly. He knew his brother would blame himself, but he still did nothing to prevent it. All it would have taken was a hug, but he was too busy being angry with him to even listen to what had happened.

'It's not your fault Sammy' He whispered in Sam's ear.

'But you thought it was my fault as well, you wouldn't talk to me, and I know it's my fault and you are right to hate me and I'm sorry'

'I was just not sure how to react Sammy. I was really scared as well and I just got angry and I didn't mean to take it out on you, but I did and for that I'm sorry. You are not to blame Sam, you got him out of the water, you saved his life. Thank you Sam, for saving my son.' Dean said, pulling Sam a little tighter to his chest.

'I could never hate you Sammy, you are my pain in the ass little brother and I don't care what it is you do, I will never hate you. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression.' Dean finished his confession.

'James okay?' Sam questioned, still not lifting his head from his big brother's shoulder.

'Yeah, he will be. Might have caught a cold or something, but nothing too bad. Are you okay though? It took much longer before you got out of those cold clothes and since you were so stubborn not to wear the jacket you really needed yourself, you might have caught pneumonia or something.' Dean had to know, he was worried about his little brother and at the same time he needed to tell his brother off for not taking care of himself.

'I'll be okay Dean' Sam answered. Dean nodded, but didn't let Sam pull out of the hug just yet. He wanted to have him close for just a little bit longer. Not that he would ever admit to that, if anyone would ask it was Sam who didn't want to break the embrace yet, Sam who needed to comfort and Dean, being the awesome big brother that he was, was willing to allow him that.

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**Another chapter done. I know that you probably wouldn't have a lake in a park, but I first called it a pond and than I thought, is a pond deep enough to nearly drown in? So that's why I called it a lake. Thanks so much to all the faithful reviewers, I love hearing from you every time again. Also thanks to everyone who put this story on alert or favorited. Each chapter again I think there won't be any new alers or favorites, and every time again there are. Wow...!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I know I've kept you waiting for this chapter, I'm so sorry. I think this chapter is cursed or something, because every time I wanted to write, something came up. And when I did have time to write I just sat staring at the screen and no words would come out. Everybody that has been reading, reviewing, putting the story on alert or favorite, thank you so much, you keep me going!**

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It seemed as though their little swim in the lake had no consequences for either Sam or James, James was just a little…scared. And apparently when James was scared he got very clingy. Under no condition did he want to be left alone. Which proved to be quite a challenge when trying to get a child to go to bed. Dean had allowed the kid to stay up a little past his bed time, then walked around the house with him in his arms and humming a song before taking him to his bed. He had sat with the little boy, telling him a story he had made up for Sammy when he was about 6 years old until James fell asleep. Waiting a little longer to make sure the boy was really a sleep and not going to wake up and come back downstairs any time soon, he had eventually made his way back to the living room to watch a really cheap horror movie with Sam.

'Boys, pack your bags, we're leaving first thing tomorrow' John said as he poked his head around the door of the living room. Before Dean even had the chance to process the words, Sam opened his mouth to argue.

'But dad…'

'Sam' John cut him off with a tired voice.

'Dad, come on, you can't make us move again. Not with James here too' Dean turned around and shot his brother an angry look. He knew exactly why Sam was putting up an argument with his father. They had been in this town for a couple of weeks now, and Sam had made some friends. Some actually cool friends, not the usual geeky friends he usually had, and they were throwing a party coming Friday. Though Sam would not admit that to his father, knowing full well what he would say. There was no way their father would let them stay a bit longer in this town, or any town for that matter just because one of them wanted to go to a party, so instead his little brother had decided to try a different tactic.

'Don't get him involved in this Sam' Dean stated in a threatening voice. Sam looked at him, a hurt look crossing his face, he had apparently expected Dean to back him up in this.

'But you know it's true Dean, you don't want to drag him around the country, now do you?'

'Oh come on Sam, as if that's what you're really concerned about. All you want is for us to stay here a bit longer just so you can go to that party you've been going on about for ages' Dean sneered.

'Boys, stop it, NOW' John barked before Sam could answer. Both of them fell silent and faced their father.

'Dean, we need to talk' John said calmly, turning around towards the kitchen.

'What is it dad?' Dean asked with a loud sigh, not making a move to get up and follow his father, tired of the trips to the kitchen and the talks with his dad. He knew Sam could hear it anyway and besides, whatever it was that his father wanted to say, if it involved the reason they were so suddenly leaving, it concerned Sam as well.

'I think I found her' John said. Dean's mouth fell open as his father said the words. From the corner of his eyes he could see Sam doing a pretty good impression of a fish as well.

'You uh…found her?' He stammered, not sure he wanted to believe it just yet.

'Yeah, she apparently went to the emergency room in Moorcroft yesterday' John explained his findings.

'Moorcroft? But…that's where I met her, why would she go back there?' Dean questioned his father.

'I don't know Dean, maybe she feels safe there, I honestly couldn't tell you'

'But why would she drop James of here, only to return to the first place I'm going to look for her if she doesn't want me to find her?' Dean knew his father didn't have the answers he was looking for, but he just had to get the questions of his chest. John simply shrugged, not sure what he was supposed to say. A hand was put on his shoulder and when Dean turned around he saw it was Sam who was trying to offer him a little comfort, everything said between them just seconds earlier forgotten. Dean's first instincts were to shrug him off, with him being the big brother and all.

'It's good news Dean, now dad has found Chloe, everything will be alright, I'm sure' Sam said, Dean had always insisted that Sam was the girl of the house and Sam had done nothing but prove his point on the matter.

'Thanks for that insight, Samantha' Dean just couldn't help himself, he wouldn't pass up on a opportunity to make fun of his little brother.

'Jerk' Sam mumbled, pulling a classic bitch face.

'Bitch' Dean shot back.

'Boys, packing?' John said, bending down to gather the stuff that lay scattered around the living room and throwing it in the bag he was holding. With a loud sigh Dean got up, ignoring Sam's annoyed huff, who still wasn't happy about having to move again, but had apparently decided not to argue any further.

'Daddy, where we going?' James questioned when Dean carried him down the stairs, obviously noticing that all their stuff had disappeared from the living room.

'We're going on a trip buddy, you, me, your grandfather and your uncle. It'll be fun, I promise' Dean said, not really sure how he else he could explain, without mentioning they were going to find his mother. Dean didn't want James to know, he wasn't sure if, after they had found Chloe, James was able to stay with his mother. And he didn't want to disappoint the child.

'Oh…' was all James said

'You can sit with uncle Sam, and he will play games with you' Dean said when he was sure they were within earshot of Sam, who was sitting in the kitchen, pushing his breakfast around his plate. Sam looked up at Dean with a scowl on his face.

'You'd like that?' he added, James nodded enthusiastically, and in doing so made it very difficult for Sam to protest. Glancing at his little brother Dean saw one of Sam's trademark dimpled smiles creeping up on his face, even though he was trying really hard to hide it from his older brother. Dean ruffled his brother's hair

'Admit it Sammy, the kid's got you wrapped around his little finger and you know it' He grinned and Sam just sighed.

'Is it…uh…is it the water bottle?' Sam wondered, James shook his head frantically, Sam rubbed a hand over his face. He was really running out of options here and for the first time Sam had to admit he admired Dean for always playing stupid games like I spy with him when he had been little, never complaining once that he was getting tired of the game. He wasn't sure how Dean had done it, because he and James had been at it for half an hour or something, and he was so sick of the game.

'Uh…you won James, I give up. I can't think of anything else that's blue. You have to tell me' Sam admitted to James, whose smile grew bigger as he started tucking on the legs of his jeans.

'So, what is it?' Sam asked, still not sure what the blue thing was that was causing his misery.

'My sock' James announced proudly pointing at his socks, which were indeed a dark blue color.

'Oi, cheeky, I can't see your socks, that doesn't count' Sam argued, and when James only laughed at him, he pouted, pretending to be really upset about losing the game to his nephew. James giggled, the giggling growing louder as Sam started tickling him. Dean turned around in the backseat and smiled at his brother and son. He was really happy that the two of them got along so well.

'Please unca Sam, stop you won, you won' James squealed in an attempt to get his uncle to stop tickling him. Eventually Sam gave in and pulled James up on his lap to cuddle him.

'Unca Sam, I have to go pee pee' James whispered in Sam's ear, when he was done laughing, a panicked look on his face, Sam grinned.

'Dad, can we stop for a while?' Sam questioned. Dean looked over his shoulder at his little brother, than at his father, seeing the expression on his old man's face change.

'Why Sam?' He growled

'Because James needs the toilet' Sam snapped back, not bothering to hide the anger in his voice.

'Sam, mind your tone!' John barked. Dean sensed another long, tiring argument about to erupt, and when he saw the panicked look on his son's face he decided to end it before it could really start.

'Dad, Sam, don't start this again please. James really needs to go.' He pleaded with his father and brother. Sam turned his head to stare out of the window without saying another word and John stared at the road in front of him. Dean swallowed back a chuckle. Neither of them wanted to see it, but his brother and father were so much alike, probably the biggest reason they butted heads so often.

Wordlessly John pulled off at the next exit and as even before the car had come to a complete stop, Dean had his door open and jumped out, walking around the car quickly to get James from the backseat.

'Come on buddy' He said as he grabbed James' hand and started pulling him towards the toilet, ready to get away from the tension in the car for a second. He knew his dad was annoyed that they had to stop so soon into the drive, and they weren't even in a rush to kill some evil sons of bitches that would kill a whole lot of innocent people if they wouldn't hurry up. They weren't even chasing a lead on the thing that killed his mother, and still his father was in a hurry to get to their destination. Dean remembered what Sammy had been like when he was James' age, Dean had been sure that Sammy was going to attempt to try out every single toilet in the country. That would get their father annoyed, which meant that it was usually him that was dragging his little brother to the toilet, helping him pull his jeans down and lifting him up on the toilet, making sure he didn't fall in.

Now, making the same movements he had done so many years ago he sighed, all of a sudden not so sure if he wanted to find Chloe, and leave James with her.

Sighing one more time when James was finished he hoisted the boy up on his hip and walked back towards the car, hopefully Sam and his father hadn't killed each other yet, only a few more hours and they'd be in Moorcroft.

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**In the next chapter we'll see Chloe again, it's the one I've been working towards for a while now. So it shouldn't be too long before I get that chapter up. Though my birthday and moving and some schoolwork could interfere with me writing this weekend I'll really try and get it up as soon as possible**


	13. Chapter 13

**I know I said it wouldn't be long until this chapter, but this week has been crazy. First I got some really bad news from someone close to me and I needed a nice long run to clear my head, which I took. But apparently I overdid it sort of, because I ended up with tendonitis. So I'm currently on painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs (if that's what they're called) and seeing as I'm a lightweight when it comes to medicine I have been very drowsy and sleepy the last few days.**

**To make up for all that I've made this chapter nice and long, enjoy!**

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The rest of the ride passed in silence. With the argument between Sam and John still lingering in the air, and with Dean growing more and more nervous as they got closer to Moorcroft the tension in the car was almost unbearable. Even James seemed to notice that something was going on as he had stopped his happy chattering as well.

Dean let out a sigh of relief when his father stopped the car, eager to get out of the car as soon as possible.

'Boys, we're stopping here for the night, we're close enough to Moorcroft to find Chloe first thing tomorrow morning.' John said, opening his door. Dean's head snapped up at his father's words.

'But dad…' he started, he wanted to find Chloe right now, they were so close now he didn't want to wait another night to find her. He wanted the answers to the questions he had been asking himself for days now, ever since she had dropped James off at their house.

'Dean, I know you want to go see her now, but it's almost nine, by the time we've located the hospital she has been in, it could be nearing 10. And even if she's still there, they're not going to let you go in and talk to her. There's absolutely no reason why you should go chasing after her right now. First thing tomorrow we'll start looking, I promise. Right now you take your brother and James and go get some sleep.' His father reasoned knowing what Dean was about to say. Dean nodded, head bend. He knew his father was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

'Dean, I mean it, get some sleep' John said as he handed Dean the room key he had just gotten from reception, sending his oldest son a concerned look.

'I know dad' Dean said, smiling at his father to indicate he would be alright, before opening the door, allowing Sam, who was carrying a now sleeping James, to enter the room. Not much was said between the brothers, as Sam pretty much fell asleep the second his eyes closed.

Dean lay on his bed, watching the stains on the ceiling and listening to his brother's and son's even breaths indicating they were both still fast asleep. He wished he could sleep just like them, but thoughts kept running through his head and he couldn't shut it off or anything. Over and over again he was battling with himself. What if they found Chloe and she wanted James to stay with her, what if she said she regretted ever leaving the kid, would he just leave the kid with her? Could he walk off and hunt with his father and brother knowing he had a son out there that he couldn't be with, that he couldn't protect. But if he decided he would settle down and live with Chloe and their son, could he watch his father and brother taking off on a hunt. Or at least his father, because Sam would take the opportunity to get that little bit of normalcy he craved.

Three glasses of water, followed by two trips to the bathroom, getting up at least four more times to make sure James was still breathing and a thousand times of shifting his position because he just wasn't comfortable, later exhaustion finally pulled him into a restless sleep.

'Dean, wake up!' It took some time before the words registered, and Dean made the link between the words and the shaking of his shoulders. He opened his eyes and shot up.

'What's wrong with James?' He asked. Sam, who had been shaking his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up, frowned at him.

'Nothing's wrong with James' He said, sounding unsure of what to think of the matter 'He's right over there if you don't belief me' Sam added, pointing at the table in the room. Dean's gaze followed Sam's finger and sure enough, there was his son, sitting at the table coloring something.

'We let you sleep a little longer, but dad wanted me to wake you up now' Sam explained

'What time is it?' Dean questioned

'Uh, some time after 10.' Sam answered, glancing at his watch. Dean pulled the covers off and jumped out of bed.

'What?! Man, why didn't you wake me a little sooner?' Fishing a clean shirt and a pair of boxers from his duffel he walked to the bathroom

'So much we need to do today, no time to sleep in' He called from the bathroom. Sam wisely kept his mouth shut.

'I'll go get some food. You two want something as well?' Dean said as soon as he emerged from the bathroom. Sam looked from the tv program he was watching and nodded.

'We haven't eaten yet' He answered. Dean nodded and grabbed his keys from the table

'Where's dad?'

'Don't know, he came in, told me to look after James for a while and let you sleep. Then he took off, no clue where he went' Sam said and the face he pulled as soon as Dean mentioned their father told him that the exchange of words between them hadn't been too friendly. He didn't understand why this kept happening. At first when Sam started acting out, Dean thought it was just a phase. Like when he would refuse to eat any brown foods, even chocolate, or when he stopped eating all together. There had even been a period where he wouldn't step on the lines between the tiles on the pavement. He kept that going for months and had Dean seriously researching OCD. But no matter how cut , worrying, or annoying, those phases had been, they had only lasted a couple of months at most. But this fighting thing with their father, where he would take every excuse to start an argument, and his father would be all too happy to jump in, that had been going for much longer and he didn't see it end any time soon.

'Want us to go with you?' Sam asked, breaking Dean's chain of thoughts. Dean shook his head, he wanted to be alone for a while, maybe he could clear his head a little.

'Be careful!' Sam called after him when he stepped outside, Dean smiled to himself.

'Sure Sammy, I won't drive into a lake' He called back, intending to be funny, when he realized that perhaps Sam wouldn't find it all that funny considering what had happened a few days ago.

He was standing in line to pay for Sammy's food at the grocery store, as the kid didn't want anything from a fast food restaurant, when he saw her. At first he thought he had seen it wrong, was mistaking her for someone else. But when he had a closer look he was sure that it was her. He thought about calling her, but decided against it. It would be too easy for her to make a run for it here, if she wanted to. He'd pay for the food, and wait outside for her.

Dean glanced over his shoulder from time to time to make sure she was still in the store. The woman in front of him obviously noticed as she sent a sweet smile his way, she probably thought the staring had quite a different reason. Changing tactics, because if the old lady could figure out he was keeping an eye on her, Chloe might as well, he forced himself to keep his head straight, blank look on his face. He smiled back at the lady, if she thought he had the hots for Chloe, there was no reason to make her think any different. Moorcroft wasn´t a huge town after all, and if she suspected anything she might call the cops on him or something.

He was relieved when it was his turn, knowing that Chloe was still in the store. He shot one of his most flirtatious smiles at the girl behind the cash register. She was pretty, but he didn't allow his thoughts to go any further than that. Without saying a word, and he realized how unlike him that was, he paid, grabbed his groceries and walked out of the store, being sure that Chloe didn't see him.

Dean took another deep breath, willing his hands to stop shaking. He stood on the tip of his toes and shook every part of his body, making dishwasher sounds. A little trick their father had taught them in order to get rid of their nerves before a hunt when they were much younger. It seemed really silly, but it worked.

His eyes wandered back to the exit of the grocery store, afraid that if he'd look away for too long he would miss her. Finally a familiar face did emerge from the store, Dean put his hands in his pockets, crossed the street and strolled after her, all of a sudden unsure how to approach her, and what to say to her once he had. He waited until they got somewhere they could talk without being disturbed too much and when Chloe walked towards a small alley, Dean cleared his throat, waiting for her to turn her head, which she did. Dean watched her eyes growing big, her mouth opening and closing again, she put her hand in front of her mouth, turned back around, only to glance over her shoulder again within seconds, trying to convince herself she was not dreaming.

'Dean?' She tried, apparently still not sure it was really him.

'Yeah' He replied, unsure what else to say.

'What are you doing here?' She asked 'James' Something seemed to dawn on her 'James, is he okay?' She started panicking and Dean quickly put his arms round her to prevent her from hitting the floor. He frowned at the sight of the girl before him. He wasn't sure what to think of it. He was sure that Chloe had abandoned their son and she couldn't care less about him. After all, she had disappeared without making sure he could take care of a child. But this, this was not a girl who dumped her child and was glad to be rid of him.

'He uh…he's fine, I think. Could be better though' She looked up at him hopefully.

'But, if he's fine, than why are you here?' She questioned.

'Why wouldn't I be here?' Dean shot back.

'Because… because you need to take care of James' She stammered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and she didn't think there could be another reason for him coming to find her other than something being wrong with James. Dean sighed, this was not going in the direction he thought the conversation between them would go. He had planned to yell at Chloe for being a bad mother, to make her admit that, and to make her want to make up for it. But he couldn't get himself to do that, it just didn't seem right.

'I am taking care of James, but he needs his mother' He replied instead. A tear fell down Chloe's face. Dean had the urge to wipe it away, suddenly seeing the girl he fell in love with almost 4 years ago.

'I know' She said quietly.

'Than why did you leave like that?' Dean asked, some of the anger he had felt towards Chloe for leaving, slipping into his voice. Chloe shrugged, more tears falling now.

'I had to' She answered eventually.

'Why Chloe? Why would you just disappear? Why not wait and explain what was going on, say goodbye to your son, before walking out of his life?' Dean went on

'I did say goodbye to him, I told him to be brave, to be a good boy, to listen to what you said. I told him you were his father and he was thrilled to finally get to meet you. He was happy to be with you' She sniffed

'You think so? Then why was I holding a crying toddler who only wanted his mother, who wouldn't let daddy make it better but kept saying I want mommy?' As Dean made this statement Chloe broke down in uncontrolled sobbing. Dean contemplated putting his arm around her to comfort her, but decided against it.

'You don't understand' She said and Dean got angry again. Of course he didn't understand. He had been in James' shoes and he hadn't understood why his mommy couldn't be there, and he sure as hell didn't understand why someone would willingly make their child go through all of that.

'Than explain it to me!' He had raised his voice and winced at how desperate it made him sound. Chloe only sobbed louder

'I can't'

'Sure you can' Dean tried getting the answer out of her.

'No Dean, you have to take him and take care of him. Please' Chloe begged, tears still rolling down her face.

'Not until you tell me why' Dean said crossing his arms trying to make a point.

'You have to Dean, get him away from here' Chloe tried again, eyes cast downwards as if she didn't dare to look Dean in the face.

'Chloe, I've been through the whole, you don't have a mommy because thing with Sammy, I'm not going through all that again. James needs his mother, and unless you have a very good reason not to, you are going to be his mother, whether you like it or not ' Dean sighed. Chloe lifted her head up to face Dean and the pleading look in her eyes almost broke his heart.

And then she whispered 'Please' in a voice that made Dean's stomach turn, his eyes filling up and he found himself swallowing back tears. Chloe turned around, but before she could make a run for it, Dean grabbed her elbow stopping her dead in her tracks. Much to his surprise she yelped in pain, he wasn't doing anything that should cause her pain. He pulled her towards him and started tugging on her sleeve. She tried to fight him off, push his hands away and telling him to mind his own business, but he was much stronger than her. Eventually he managed to roll up her sleeve far enough to see the edges of what he was expecting to be quite a large bruise. She winched under his touches, causing Dean to be extra gentle when he uncovered the rest of her elbow. Chloe was no longer fighting him, instead she held his arm out to him and quietly sobbed.

Dean gasped upon finding that he couldn't even see where the bruise ended.

'What happened Chloe?' He asked quietly, fingers tracing the outlines of the bruise. Chloe took a deep breath and for a second Dean thought she wasn't going to tell him, that he would have to find a different way to get it out of her, but then she started spilling.

'I hoped he wouldn't anymore, he said he wouldn't, but deep down inside I knew not to trust him. But he didn't, for so long he didn't. And just when I was beginning to trust him a little more he started again. And I didn't know what to do, Dean' She cried.

'Chloe, did someone do this to you?' Dean asked her gently. After all those years of trying to get Sammy to tell him who the bullies were that had hurt him, he knew how to keep the anger out of his voice. Chloe put her head in her hands and nodded slightly. She slid down the wall she had been leaning against for support until her bottom hit the floor.

'You have to tell me who did this to you Chloe' Dean whispered, crouching down in front of her.

'Can't, he'd kill me' She whispered back. Dean sighed, Chloe looked so lost right now, a fragile little girl that he needed to protect. No longer able to keep his instincts at bay he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, being very careful not to aggravate any other injuries he wasn't yet aware of and pulled her into a hug. They sat like this for a while neither one of them saying anything both content just to be in the other one's presence. Dean thought back of the times they had sat like this 4 years ago, with no other girl he had felt the need to cuddle, but Chloe had been special.

'You do know that I wouldn't let him hurt you any more, do you?' Dean finally broke the silence. Chloe nodded against his chest.

'Than tell me who did this to you' Dean pleaded

'D…da…daddy' Chloe stuttered

'Your father did this to you?' He asked, he needed to be sure.

'Yeah' She mumbled in reply. Dean couldn't believe it, he had met her father a couple of times and he seemed such a good guy. He was so concerned for his daughter, always asking how she was and if he was careful with her. Yet it didn't make him feel uneasy, quite the opposite, the guy would joke around and make him feel welcome. And that same guy had hurt his daughter, that didn't make sense.

'He didn't mean to' Chloe came to her father's defense.

'Are there any more bruises Chloe, did he do this more often?' Chloe didn't say anything. But a barely noticeable nod of her head told Dean he was right.

'How long has this been going on?' Chloe shrugged.

'You have to tell me' Chloe took a deep breath and finally came with the explanation Dean had been waiting for ever since this whole mess had started.

'I don't know, pretty much for as long as I can remember. It wasn't bad at first, and only if he was drunk and my mother wasn't there. But then my mother left and dad just lost it, and I'm not sure if it was because he was always drunk or if he didn't really need the alcohol any more to do it, but it got much worse than. And he would always come to apologize to me, he would always make it better, take care of me, say he didn't mean to and I know he didn't. But then I met you and well, I got pregnant and I was scared to tell him.' The longer she talked, the calmer she sounded. Dean in the meanwhile was holding his breath, not sure if he even wanted to hear the rest of the story.

'But he did something totally unexpected. Instead of yelling at me and hurting me he was so proud of me and he swore never to hit me again and he didn't at first. But I wasn't sure I could trust him, so that's why I forged your signature on the birth certificate. Just in case something happened.

He sort of kept his promise, staying away from James at least, but then I noticed how James acted round my father. Something had scared him, I made sure he hadn't hit James, but I knew I had to get him out of here, so I went to find you' Chloe finished her story, rubbing her hand across her face to remove the still remaining tear tracks. Dean closed his eyes for a second, taking his time to digest everything he had just heard. He felt bad for the way he had judged Chloe, how he got so angry with her for abandoning James. All she had been trying to do was protect the boy.

'I'm sorry Chloe. I sort of jumped to conclusions, if only I had known…' He admitted to her.

'Don't be, I know how it must have looked, I should've told you what was going on' She responded, burying her face in Dean's chest again, seeking the comfort.

'Dean, you have to promise me one thing' She spoke after a few minutes

'What?'

'Take James out of here, and never look back' Dean wanted to argue, make Chloe come with them, but something in the way she looked at him made him drop that idea.

'I will' He stated instead.

'I gotta go now, or my dad will suspect something' Chloe announced. Dean nodded, he needed to get back to Sam and James, they'd probably be wondering where he had gone. He got up and helped Chloe to her feet, gave her a quick hug before she turned to walk in the other direction.

'Chloe!' Dean called after her 'I promise I'll come back for you once I got James somewhere safe' A small smile appeared on Chloe's faced as she turned and continued her way home.

'Never look back Dean' She called over her shoulder.

Dean stood in the alley and watched her walk off, swallowing back the lump in his throat.

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**As I've been working up to this point for a very long time now, I hope that this chapter met with your expectations. I'm a little nervous about this chapter, so let me know! **

**Also, now I've gotten this over with it's pretty much up to you guys if you want me to continue this story. I think there's one more chapter to this story to wrap it all up, but I was thinking about a continuation with James living with the Winchesters, just how they get on and stuff... anyone who would want to read that? Any other thoughts?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh dear, has it already been a week and a half since the last chapter? Pff, time flies. I've had so many people telling me they'd like to read more, so I'm working on a sequel. This is the last chapter of On your doorstep. I'd like to thank everyone that read, reviewed, put it on alert or favorited it. Especially YohKo Bennington, Supernatural-Stalker, Eileen, enviousxbeauty, ohgravitysonfire, BlueSteelLove1207 and supernaturaldeangirl89 for your continuous support. **

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'Never look back Dean' The words echoed in his head over and over again, the image of her retreating back still clearly visible. He didn't know what to do, he wanted to get Chloe out of there, safe her from her father, but those words…what had she meant by them? Did she really think it would be better for him to not come back for her, or was she just trying to put on a brave face? But first things first, he had to get James somewhere safe. He pulled the little boy currently sitting on his lap a little closer to his chest and planted a kiss on the back of his head before ruffling his hair.

'Daddy' James whined, his hand reaching up to swat Dean's hand away.

Sam turned around in the front seat and smiled.

'What?! You don't like me doing this?' Dean smirked, ruffling James' hair again. 'Uncle Sam loves it when I do it' He added, reaching over to the front seat and before Sam could do anything about it he messed his hair up.

'DEAN!' Sam let out, hands covering his head trying to protect his hairdo from his big brother.

'Oh I'm sorry princess, did I mess with your hair? Is your perfect hairdo now ruined? Do you need dad to stop so you can fix it again?' Dean teased, he knew exactly how to get on his little brother's nerves.

'Dean, I look like an idiot' Sam stated, looking at himself in the mirror, trying to brush the strays of hair back where they belonged with his fingers, not really succeeding because some stubborn hairs kept sticking out.

'No change there, bro' James had observed his father and uncle with wide eyes and now started giggling.

'Oh you think this is funny do you?' Sam said to him, faking anger. He tried to mess with James' hair as well, but couldn't quite reach, so he sat on his knees and tried again, nearly falling over the chair, tumbling into the backseat. John had to reach for his legs to stop that from happening, Dean pushed him back, laughing loudly.

'Great stunt Sammy'

'Sam, please sit on your buttocks' John scolded Sam as if he was a little boy, a smile playing on his lips. Sam shot him an annoyed look, but did turn back around again without starting another argument, much to Dean's relief.

'Where we going?' Sam wondered after a while. Dean saw their father cocking his eyebrows in the rearview mirror. Dean shrugged, he had absolutely no idea where they were going either, as long as their father would take them far away from Moorcroft. He hadn't had time to explain to either his father or brother what had happened. He came home and told Sam to start packing their stuff together, whilst he went in search of their father. He knew both of them wanted to know badly what was going on, but both of them had kept their mouths shut up till know, doing what Dean told them to do, trusting his judgment for now.

John's eyes turned back to the road and Dean noticed their speed picking up a little more. His father seemed to understand that he wanted to get out of there quickly.

'We are going to stop somewhere for the night, see if there's anything fun for you to do and if not, we'll move on tomorrow' John explained and Dean figured he did that for James' sake. The bigger question of course would be whether or not there was a hunt nearby, but the kid didn't need to know that.

'We could go to the zoo, or a playground or something, you'd like that buddy?' Dean asked, James nodded happily.

'We'll have to see if there's anything like that around, but I promise you that we'll go do something fun alright?' Another happy nod.

'Can I come to?' Sam piped up from the front seat.

'What do you think buddy, can uncle Sam come?' Dean asked James, pretending to think really hard about it, James mimicked his movements, crossing his arms, putting his chin on his fist and frowning. Sam turned around in his seat again and pouted at the two of them

'Pretty pretty please!' He tried. Dean bend down and whispered in James' ear

'We better let him come or his face might stay that way' James laughed, climbed of Dean's lap and threw himself at Sam, who reached out and caught him before he could fall.

'Boys, please. Could everyone just remain seated now, I'd rather not end up on the side of the road' John pleaded.

'Yes sir, sorry sir' Both Sam and Dean said.

'Looks like you're going to have to stay with me' Sam said to his nephew.

'You come too' James stated, snuggling to Sam's chest. Not long after that he was sound asleep.

'Never look back Dean' Dean's eyes flew open and he shot up, glancing around the room confused.

'Okay Dean?' Sam asked from the other bed, sounding still very much asleep.

'Yeah Sam, go back to sleep' Dean replied, letting his head fall back down on the pillow. Everything in the room was as it was supposed to be. James sleeping tightly with him in the bed, Sammy in the bed next to theirs, his breath evening out already, the salt lines weren't disturbed for as far as he could see and the only thing that was keeping him from sleeping was the nightmare that kept playing in his head. He had seen Chloe walk away and then something happened to her, he couldn't remember what exactly, but he knew something was seriously wrong and it bothered him even though he knew it was supposed to be just a dream.

He had made up his mind though, he was going back for Chloe. No matter what she had said, he couldn't turn his back on her. First thing tomorrow morning he would ask his father for the car keys and go back to Moorcroft. That decided, Dean closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

'Dad, can I uh…borrow the car keys?' Dean asked his father. He had managed to get him alone for a while, being up earlier than both Sam and James, which was a miracle in itself.

'What?' John asked, checking if he hadn't misheard

'Can I borrow the car keys?' Dean asked again, sounding a little more confident now.

'What do you need to car keys for?' Dean considered a smartass come back, something like "to drive the car" but he decided against it.

'I'm going back for Chloe' Dean stated, he had explained briefly what had happened when he met Chloe to his brother and father, but hadn't gone into details. 'I can't leave her there, James is safe here with you and Sam, so I'm going back' John nodded

'I'm coming with you' he said

'But dad…' Dean objected, he hadn't planned on his father coming along '…who will look after James?'

'Sam will look after James' John simply answered, getting his shoes on

'And who will look after him?' Dean snorted. That was going to be great, Sam babysitting James, and not just an hour or so with him and their father within walking distance.

'Dean, he's fifteen, you can trust him with your kid' John defended Sam, Dean looked at him surprised, he never thought he would hear those words out of his father's mouth.

'Don't look at me like that. Now go wake your brother up, I'll start the car. If we leave now we can be back before dark' John instructed, Dean nodded, accepting that he wasn't going to change his father's mind. He followed his father out the door and went back to the room he shared with Sam and James.

When he opened the door Sam was already sitting up, hand under the pillow probably reaching for the knife Dean knew to be there. Once Sam recognized his older brother his hand came back up empty.

'It's only me, don't go throwing any knifes at me' Dean joked, all the while glad that his brother wouldn't let anyone come into their room that didn't belong there. Sam smiled, pulled the covers back and swung his legs from the bed.

'I'm going back to Moorcroft, with dad' Dean said, Sam dropped his duffel and looked at him shocked.

'You're going to do what?' He asked in disbelief.

'I'm going to get Chloe, you look after James for me, will you? If we leave now, dad says we can be back before dark. If we don't make that, just get him to bed. There's some money on the nightstand, go get some food for the two of you. Other than that, please don't leave the room. You know how to lay the saltlines, be sure to check them' Dean instructed

'Dean, I'm fifteen' Sam whined.

'So I'm told. But seriously Sam, I trust you. Please look after my boy'

'I will Dean, I promise' Sam answered, looking very serious.

'Good, see you tonight' Dean said, walked to his bed where James was still softly snoring and kissed him on the forehead.

'Goodbye buddy, daddy loves you. I'll bring your mommy back to you' He whispered, not loud enough for Sam to hear what he was saying. Then he got up and walked out the door where his father was waiting in the car.

The drive back to Moorcroft seemed to take much longer than it had the day before, even though his father was stepping on it. His father had tried making small talk, but when Dean didn't respond half the time he gave up on that and cranked the music up a little. Every now and then his thoughts drifted to the motel room where his brother and son were. He wondered what they were doing, what Sam had told James about where they were and what they were doing.

Dean grew more and more anxious the closer they got to their destination. The pit in his stomach just wasn't settling. Something felt off and with his nightmare from the day before still in the back of his mind he got restless.

It was some time after noon when they reached the first houses of the town they had left the day before in such a hurry.

'You have any idea where she lives?' John asked, Dean hadn't thought about that. He shook his head, he had absolutely no idea where she lived or where to start looking for her.

'Might just go the grocery store I saw her in yesterday and ask around a little bit. In a town this size someone is bound to know where to find her' Dean suggested. His father didn't say anything, but parked the car right outside the grocery store.

'You coming in with me?' Dean asked, when his father didn't follow him out of the car. John shook his head.

'You go, I'll wait here and see if I can spot her on the streets somewhere' His father answered. Dean shrugged and walked into the grocery store.

He was about to approach someone when he overheard two older ladies talking.

'You heard about that fire yesterday? Such a tragedy' One of them said, that got Dean's interest and he edged closer trying to catch more of what they were saying, without them noticing him eavesdropping.

'I know, poor Ben, they say that girl of his did it, can you believe someone would do that to their own father? It's a good thing her son was out of town. And I already thought him disappearing was a little suspicious. Such a waste, she always seemed like a decent girl' The other woman answered.

'But I suppose with a reckless girl that gets pregnant at such a young age, you never know what to expect.' The first woman sneered. Dean's eyes grew wide when he made the link.

'Excuse me' He said, walking over to the two elderly ladies. 'I couldn't help but overhear you. That girl you were talking about, any change her name's Chloe, she has a really cute three year old, named James' He really hoped they would say no, but of course they didn't.

'Yes, Chloe, that's what she's called' One of the ladies nodded. Dean sighed.

'Can you tell me what happened?' He asked

'She a friend of yours?' Dean nodded.

'Such a waste. There was a fire in their house, seems like that girl started it. It's unbelievable, why would you do that to your own father?' The woman wondered again.

'Please tell me she made it out' Dean pleaded, fearing the answer

'No boy, I'm sorry but neither she nor her daddy made it out alive' Dean had to swallow back the lump in his throat and fought against the tears. He was too late.

'Where did it happen?'He asked, voice sounding raspy from the tears held back. He felt the need to go there, see it for himself.

'Oh, just a block from here, you can't miss it really' The lady that had done most of the explaining shrugged.

'I'm really sorry boy' She called after Dean as he walked out of the grocery store. He didn't turn around, didn't answer her. He walked straight on, towards the alley where he had last seen her. He passed the car with his father still in it, without noticing. Seconds later footsteps sounded behind him and his father's voice was calling his name, but he was too far gone to really notice it.

He kept walking, through the alley and into the street behind it. He didn't stop walking until he was standing in front of the house. Or better, what was left of it, which wasn't much to say the least. There was a gaping hole in the middle of the street, the ceilings had collapsed and all that was still standing where the walls that were supposed to support the whole structure. Everything still smelled of the fire.

Standing in front of this mess that once had been the house of the mother of his child, his son's home too, he couldn't keep the tears at bay. He cried silently, his father came up beside him and put his arm round his shoulder.

'She's gone dad, I was too late' Dean whispered before breaking down to sobs. His father rubbed his back and held him close.

'Don't worry Dean, everything will be okay eventually'

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**I contemplated having Chloe along for the ride, but decided against it. It didn't seem right. I'm working on the sequel, which will be called 'Blow your tears' just so you know what to look for if you want to read it. Seeing as I'm also working on another story I don't know how soon I'll have it up. I hope to see you there, if not, well I enjoyed writing this story and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it too.**


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